Naive
by orange-sunshiine
Summary: Tony sets out to seduce Steve but ends up getting more deeply involved with him. Bottom!Steve and mpreg. You've been warned.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I wanted to knock up Steve because he's all sweet and innocent and there seems to be a general lack of Cap. America mpreg. **

Ch. 1

Tony Stark never had a problem getting laid.

Never. He'd had hundreds of conquests, both male and female. People jumped at the chance to sleep with him, being the genius billionaire superhero that he was. Really, Tony had his pick.

So when Steve Rogers, aka Captain America bluntly turned down his advances, it was a shock.

At first, Tony felt angry. Who did Rogers think he was? Even though they were both superheros, Tony was clearly the better catch, at least, in his own mind.

Then he felt something else. Not anger. More of a feeling of determination. Steve presented a challenge unlike one Tony had ever faced. At the end of the day, he resolved that Steve would be his, one way or another, even if it took some time to trap him.

00

The next time Tony saw Steve was a few days after he had first attempted to seduce him. The two had met up in the kitchen one morning. Tony was making some coffee, and Steve was looking for breakfast.

Surprisingly, Steve did not bring up the incident. He seemed to be focused on maintaining a normal friendship with Tony. It was as if Steve didn't want one drunken night (well, Tony had been drunk) to ruin things between them. He was as friendly and chipper as ever.

Tony wasn't going to let it drop that simply, though.

"Hey, Cap," he said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Hey Tony."

Tony nodded. "So... I just want to say that I'm sorry for the other night. I shouldn't have come on to you so strongly."

Steve stopped looking through the fridge and turned to face him.

"Oh. It's... it's okay," he replied.

"I understand if you're not interested."

Steve's face turned bright red, and Tony did his best not to laugh. He'd never seen Captain America blush before.

Steve sighed. "It's not that. I mean...ugh," he sighed again, and returned to looking for food.

Tony was a bit taken back by Steve's answer. He'd expected Cap to nicely tell him that he was into women, or something to that extent. For a minute, Tony contemplated taking the conversation further, but decided not to. Clearly there was something more to this, something that Steve wasn't telling him.

He'd figure it out, one way or another. Rushing it now might make things more awkward, so he decided to wait.

00

Instead of working on his suit, as per usual, Tony spent the day digging through all of SHIELD's files on Steve. He then went through every newspaper article about him that JARVIS could pull up.

In the end, he really didn't get much more information besides what he already knew. Steve was a small, weak man who had been given the super serum during World War Two. Prior to that he'd lived with his parents, though both had died while he was young. While he was in art school he had lived with his friend Bucky, who had died during the war.

All in all it was nothing new. It frustrated Tony. But, maybe some of the others would have more information. Stuff that wasn't on record. Steve would've had to have talked to them at some point.

And who would he be most likely to share such information with?

Tony decided to start with Tasha. Since she was a woman, she may have gotten Steve to open up more than the others.

00

"Why are you asking?" Tasha asked, taking a sip of her drink. Vodka on the rocks. Tony had to laugh at that one. How very Russian of her.

"I'm just curious," Tony replied. "I just want to understand him better."

It had been a week since the incident, and Tony had made both of them drinks in the hopes that alcohol would relax Tasha enough to give him some answers.

Tasha rolled her eyes. "Steve is a good man. Leave him alone."

"I know he's good! He's great. He's the epitome of righteousness and all that. I just want to get to know him better."

"So why don't you ask him?"

"He won't tell me."

The agent sighed. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"Well... has he ever... you know, come on to you before? Or has he mentioned other women to you? Asked for advice, maybe?"

Tasha drained the last of her vodka, then held out the glass for Tony to refill it.

"The Captain... he does not have that much experience with women."

"But he must have had a girlfriend before, at least?" Tony asked, as he poured the alcohol.

Tasha shook her head 'no', and Tony's jaw dropped.

"Really?! But he's... he's gorgeous! He could have anyone! Wait, wait. Is he... ya know."

The red head raised an eyebrow.

"Is he into men?"

"Mmm.. I think he likes both."

"So has he had a boyfriend, then?"

"The only thing that I am telling you is that Captain does not have much experience with relationships in general."

"So... He's... Are you telling me that Captain America is a virgin?"

Tasha said nothing, but cracked a smile. "I've not said that myself."

"But he is."

Tasha just stared at Tony, still smiling.

"Wow. WOW. I really didn't expect that. I figured that he'd had a girlfriend or something before he got frozen. That Peggy woman that he's mentioned-"

"I do not think that he got very far with her. He was frozen before... Well, it is a very touchy subject for him."

"Understandable."

Tony finished his drink while Tasha downed her second.

"You tell no one of this conversation," Tasha said, putting her glass down.

"My lips are sealed."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Weee fluff and H/C!**

Ch. 2

Tony couldn't over get the fact that Steve was a virgin. It stayed on his mind well into the evening. Because, seriously, even if he never banged that Peggy woman, Tony was sure that he had crushed some vag since he'd been unfrozen.

Or, he hadn't. It kind of turned Tony on, in a strange way. And it made him more determined. He was going to take Captain America's virginity.

Tony couldn't wait.

00

To get Steve to be willing to give it up, Tony knew that he'd have to be nice to him. He'd have to play to Steve's old fashioned sensibilities and make him feel special and loved and all of that. It would take time, but it would be worth it.

Tony got his first chance exactly two and a half weeks after the incident. For once, Captain America had gotten sick. Even the super serum couldn't protect him from bronchitis. He'd picked it up on one of those hospital visits that he did in his spare time, where he met with sick kids and all that. Eventually the bronchitis had turned into pneumonia. Sure, he'd heal faster than a normal person, but he would still suffer for a day or so.

So, when Tony had come across Steve, rummaging around the kitchen in his Pjs and a robe, looking overall miserable, Tony knew that he had to take advantage of it.

"You okay?" Tony asked, watching as Steve slowly pulled out a can of chicken soup.

"No."

Tony nodded. "Whatcha got?"

"Bruce says its pneumonia. I feel like the other guy threw me around. Everything hurts."

Tony noticed that Steve was leaning heavily on the counter, as if he could barely stand on his own.

"I see. Why don't you go lie down and I'll make you some soup."

Steve looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yup. You look like shit."

"Thanks. Yeah, okay. I'm gonna go." Steve took his hand off the counter and stepped away. He was about three feet past Tony when he felt it. His legs were giving out. Thankfully, Tony was fast. He reached Steve just in time to catch him before he hit the ground.

"Easy there," Tony said, helping Steve back into a standing position. He wrapped his arm around Steve's waist. "Let me help you."

Steve was in no mood to argue. He knew that he couldn't make it back to his room under his own power, anyway.

Slowly, the two men walked down the hall until the came to Steve's room. Tony pushed the door open. It was spotless, decorated in red white and blue. Cap's shield was hung above his bed.

Tony led Steve to the bed, pulled the covers back, and sat him down.

"There we go."

Steve laid down and curled up, and Tony pulled the blanket over him.

"It's so cold..." the sick man whispered, teeth chattering as he shivered.

Tony frowned. "You got any other blankets?"

"Closet..."

Tony walked over to the closet, and got out two blankets. He placed them over Steve, even taking a minute to tuck him in properly.

"Thanks," Steve said, softly. He still looked like absolute shit, and was still shaking. Tony couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"Just... rest. I'll be back in a few minutes with your soup."

Steve didn't answer. He was too busy trying to get warm.

00

When Tony returned to Steve's room, he found that the blonde was still freezing, and was gripping onto the pillow like his life depended on it.

"Hey," Tony said, "I'm back."

Steve glanced up at Tony. "Hi."

"Hi. You up for eating?"

"I guess so."

Tony put the bowl down on the nightstand, and began to help Steve sit up. He could feel the heat radiating off of the soldier. He was sweating, even though he felt cold. Besides that he had a horrible cough. Tony hadn't noticed it before. Steve was coughing as he helped him up, and it was taking even more out of him.

"Oh, God," Steve whispered, once the fit subsided.

Tony grimmaced, and rubbed his back. "It'll be okay."

Steve shook his head 'no', but said nothing.

"Come on, let's get some food into you."

Tony sat down on the edge of the bed, took the bowl and began feeding Steve the soup.

Steve managed to eat it all, though Tony had to stop feeding him every few seconds because he was having coughing fits. Tony took it upon himself to rub Steve's back whenever this happened, providing at least a modicum of comfort.

"Oh, crud," Steve said, once the last fit had ended.

"What?"

"You're gonna get sick too. I'm sorry, Tony."

Tony shook his head. "I'll be fine. I have a great immune system."

"If you're sure."

Tony smiled. "I'm sure. Now what else can I do for you?"

"Just stay. Please."

Tony looked at Steve and noticed he had tears in his eyes. This shocked Tony. He knew that Steve was soft hearted, but he had never seen the soldier cry before.

"What's wrong?" Tony's mind began racing, wondering if maybe Steve was sicker than he thought, or if he was in some type of pain.

"It's just... I don't want to die. Not yet."

One tear ran down the blonde's face and landed on the comforter.

"What? You're not going to die. Come on."

Steve closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. It was hard, though. It took a minute before he thought that he could speak without crying harder.

"My father died from this. I don't want to die, too."

Tony frowned. Steve probably still missed his family. Still, it was illogical for him to fear death from pneumonia. Even if he didn't have the super serum on his side, the medical capabilities of 2013 were far more advanced than they had been in the 40s.

Tony put his fingers under Steve's chin, forcing him to turn his head to look at Tony.

"Listen to me. I promise that you are not going to die. You have an incredibly strong body, and besides that, there are a number of medications that could help if you got worse."

"Okay."

"Do you believe me?"

"I guess so. It's just... he probably felt like I do before he... you know..."

Tony wrapped an arm around Steve's back, and pulled him closer.

"Everything will be fine. I'm sure of it."

00

Steve had ended up recovering within a day. Tony had been right, everything had been fine.

However, since Tony had taken care of him, Steve had been acting differently. It was almost as if he felt closer to Tony in some way.

It made sense, really. Tony had seen him at his worst and had helped him and comforted him, so of course Steve would feel a connection to him. Tony had to admit that he was happy at how perfectly his plan had worked.

Tony was working in his lab when he heard the elevator ding. He stopped what he was doing, expecting to see Pepper there, ready to give him some papers to sign or something to that extent.

Instead, he saw Steve. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that highlighted his muscular body very, very nicely.

"Hey, Cap," Tony greeted him. "You're looking much better."

"Thanks," Steve said, blushing a little again.

"So... whatcha need?"

Steve held up a plastic drink container. "Pepper told me to give this to you."

"Oh yeah, gotta have my daily cup of nasty green stuff," Tony replied, taking it from him.

"Yeah..."

There was a short silence before Tony spoke up.

"So, anything else on your mind?"

Steve had been staring at the floor, but when Tony asked the question he looked up.

"Actually, yes."

"Shoot."

"Well, see, what you did yesterday... it was very nice. I didn't know that you cared that much about me."

"Of course I do," Tony said, matter-of-factly.

"Right. So... I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this. What I'm trying to ask is if you'd like to do something, sometime."

"Like a date?"

Steve nodded, "Yeah, like that. A date."

Tony had to force himself not to grin. He wanted to. Hell, he wanted to jump up and down in excitement. But that would be a bit weird.

"I'd like that a lot," he said, calmly as possible.

Steve's eyes lit up. "Really? Great! That's... that's great."

"So... how's Friday night? We can go somewhere nice."

"Sure!" Steve smiled, "Friday is good. Okay."

Tony smiled back at him. "Okay!"

"Okay, I'll just let you do your work now. See you Friday!"

"See you then."

Soon as Steve left, Tony punched the air.

"I am _so_ gonna win."


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

Tony had ended up arranging a dinner at the exclusive Per Se restaurant and a private tour of the MoMa afterward. Steve had been to the MoMa before, but the private tour would include a look at a brand new exhibit that wasn't open to the public yet.

He had been getting dressed for the evening when there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," he said, buttoning up his shirt.

It was Natasha.

"Hey, Tasha. What's up?"

Tasha looked him over and shook her head. "You're getting ready to go out with the Captain?"

"Indeed I am."

"Are you sure this is a wise idea?"

"Of course I am. How'd you know about it, anyway?"

"Steven is very excited. He asked me to help him with his tie earlier. I believe he is quite nervous too."

Tony couldn't help but smile. Steve was kind of adorable sometimes.

"I cannot tell you what to do," Natasha continued, "But please be careful. Do not hurt him. He is a good man and he does not deserve that. And we need our leader, too."

The smile dropped off Tony's face. "I won't hurt him."

"Alright. I hope not."

With that, Tasha left. Tony did his best to reassure himself that everything would be fine. As long as he was honest, as long as he told Steve that he wasn't ready for anything major, then everything should work out.

00

Steve looked amazing, dressed up in a tailored black suit with a white shirt underneath. His hair was perfect. The only thing that surprised Tony was that he didn't have a tie on.

"No tie?" Tony asked. Tasha had said that she'd helped him with that.

"I, um, thought it was too much."

"Ah. You look great, though."

Steve grinned. "Thanks! You do too." Tony was wearing a black suit as well, but with a red shirt underneath.

"Thanks. So, ready to head out?"

Steve nodded, "Definitely. Where are we going?"

"Somewhere nice." Tony led Steve over to his Benz. It was one of Tony's favorite cars. He opened the passenger side door for Steve. The Captain looked at it in awe before getting in.

"It's doors go up instead of out?"

"Yup. It's pretty classy."

"Wow." He got into the car. Tony closed the door and got in on the other side.

Once they were inside, Tony turned the key in the ignition, then pressed a button on the radio. Suddenly, music from the 30s and 40s came on. He could see Steve smile again when he heard the music.

"Hope you like it," Tony said, as he pulled out of the garage.

00

Dinner had been fantastic. Tony had paid to rent the restaurant so that they had it to themselves.

Steve didn't really understand what the items on the menu meant, since they were all written in French, so Tony had helped him translate a bit.

They spent a couple of hours just sitting there, eating and talking. They didn't head out until close to ten pm.

Their next stop was the museum. Steve had gotten excited when they had first pulled up.

"Tony! This is so sweet of you! I love the MoMa!"

"I know you do."

"But... it's too late for it to be open. They close at eight."

"Well, it's a good thing that I arranged for a private, after hours tour, then."

00

Steve and Tony had walked the museum up and down, examining all of the art. Steve took pleasure in explaining various pieces to Tony. He knew a lot and truly seemed to be passionate about it. For his part, Tony just watched quietly and listened to Steve talk. Though it should have been boring, Tony found himself enjoying it. Steve really did have a lot of good qualities. He was kind and caring and passionate and intelligent, at least when it came to things that he was very interested in.

When they finally returned to Stark Tower, it was well after midnight. Steve was still on a high from the evening, excited about it even though it was over.

Tony had debated trying to get him into bed, but decided against it. He wasn't sure why. He figured that Steve probably would've let him, but it just didn't feel right. Instead, he had kissed Steve goodnight and had walked him back to his room. Then he'd changed his clothes and gone down to the lab. He felt best thinking there, for some reason.

Then, as he stepped into the room, it hit him. He was starting to have feelings for Steve.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter will contain graphic sex scenes. I am changing the rating on the story to M.**

Ch. 4

Tony had started having feelings for Steve.

The only problem was that Tony Stark didn't do relationships. They were too complex, required too much time and energy. It was easier just to screw around. Less painful in the end, too.

Still, Tony couldn't get Steve off his mind. He thought about how happy and grateful Steve had been for the evening they'd had out, and about all of the good qualities that Steve had.

Steve, too, seemed to be thinking of Tony. Ever since they'd gone out, he'd been walking around the tower in a wonderful mood.

Tony wasn't sure what to do. Finally, he decided to seek the advice of another. He hoped that maybe Bruce could provide some clarity.

00

"So, you have feelings for someone but you don't want to be in a relationship with them? Why?" Bruce was in the medical room, cleaning off some of the equipment that Tony had bought for him.

"I'm not good at relationships."

"What do you mean?"

Tony sighed. "They always... go bad. They start off fine, but we always end up hating each other."

"I see. The person who you care about... do they care about you, too?"

"They do."

"Well, I'd say it comes down to how much you really care about them. If you really feel happy around them, or if you care about them, then you ought to go for it. Life is short. Love is important."

"But what if it fails?"

"Then it fails and you both move on."

"That's... logical."

"Love is important. In the end, it's all we have."

"Actually I'll have billions of dollars and -"

"You get what I mean, Tony," Bruce said, glaring at him. "Besides, what does money matter when you're old and sick? It is more important to have someone who loves you. And love is always a risk. Something so great always comes at a risk."

"I suppose you're right."

"I know I am."

Tony smiled. "Thanks, Bruce. I think I'm going to go call them now."

"No problem. Hope it helped!"

00

Tony had ended up going to Steve's room and asking him on another date. He went directly over, not wanting to give himself time to over think it.

Steve had answered the door in a pair of jeans and a wrinkled shirt. His hair was splayed in all directions. When he saw Tony, though, he started trying to fix himself up.

"Tony! I'm sorry, I was taking a nap."

Tony shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I just came to ask if you wanted to go out again this weekend."

"I'd love to!"

"Great. Saturday at eight, then?"

"Sure!"

Tony left a minute later, thinking about how adorable Steve was when he had just woken up.

00

Saturday's date had been a intimate dinner in a restaurant that was styled to look like a crystal cave. It was in New Jersey, so Tony had driven them over. Steve seemed to enjoy both the casual environment and the uniqueness of the place.

There wasn't anything planned for after, so the two men sat and talked. At one point, Tony had requested that the waiter bring the special wine that he'd sent over for the occasion. The waiter brought it over quickly, and poured glasses for both Steve and Tony.

Tony smiled at Steve. "Try it. It'll help you relax."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Tryin' to get me drunk already? I'd let you but you know it won't effect me."

"Just try it. It might have more of a kick than you think."

Steve complied, and took a sip.

"That tastes... different. What is it?"

"Drink the rest of it."

Steve raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told. It was a few minutes later that he started to feel it.

"Wow. I feel... buzzed," he said, laughing a little. "How's that possible?"

"Being a genius billionaire inventor and all, it wasn't too hard to come up with."

Steve stared at him, wanting more information.

"Fine. It's like, 100% pure, it just doesn't taste like it."

"So that's why you're not drinking it."

"Well duh. It'd kill me. But it's fun for you so enjoy!" Tony pushed his glass towards Steve.

00

The alcohol did loosen Steve up a bit, and it wasn't long before their conversation turned very personal.

After three glasses, Steve had his elbow on the table and was resting his head on his hand.

"I really like you, Tony," he said, looking Tony straight in the eyes. Obviously alcohol gave Steve more confidence.

"I like you too, Cap."

"Good. But there's one thing." Steve held up one finger, as if to emphasize this.

"What's that?"

"I haven't been with anyone before. But you can be the first!"

"Oh yeah? Are you sure?"

"Well yeah. I mean, you care about me, right?"

"I do."

"No one's ever cared about me before. Except Peggy. But she's dead. She died ten years ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry?" Tony asked, unsure of what he should say.

"I looked her up but she was gone."

Despite the depressing nature of the conversation, Steve didn't seem overly upset.

"I, um, I'm sorry for your loss."

"But it's funny, I missed her for so long, but now, since... since I've been seeing you, I don't miss her as much."

"That's... good, then," Tony replied. He felt awkward now. Though he was starting to really care for Steve, his original intentions had not been good.

"It is. I feel happy again."

"I'm glad you feel happy."

It was clear to Tony that Steve was pretty far gone, so he suggested that they call it a night. Steve had agreed, and Tony had walked him out, arm wrapped around his waist to hold him up.

Tony had half expected Steve to fall asleep on the drive home, so he was surprised when Steve started doing something else entirely. He had rested his hand on Tony's thigh, and was slowly moving it towards Tony's crotch.

"Whoa, there," Tony said, as Steve's fingers ran over his cock. Almost instantly, his trousers felt tighter. He couldn't help it. He was a man, after all, and Steve seemed intent on getting him aroused.

Tony had gunned it, making it back to the tower in record time.

Once they were inside, the two had immediately gone up to Steve's room. They'd started kissing before even opening the door.

Steve wasn't a great kisser. He seemed to have very little experience with it. Tony had ended up taking the lead. He kissed Steve on the neck, then bit his earlobe, eliciting a moan from the soldier.

"Tony. Tony!" Steve said, causing Tony to stop for a moment.

"Yes?"

"Let's go inside."

"Are you sure?" Tony felt like he was asking himself the same question. If this was going to happen, things might change. Maybe it would be better to just back out-

"Yes. So sure." Steve gasped, interrupting Tony's thought.

Steve made another attempt at touching Tony's crotch. From there, Little Tony took over.

Tony opened the door, and the two walked into the room. It was only a few seconds before Tony had shoved Steve down on the bed. He began undressing the blonde, kissing him all over as he did so.

"Oh, God, Tony, pleeease," Steve begged, as Tony kissed the area right below Steve's belly button. "Please."

Tony grinned. He loved how Steve got so much pleasure out of a few small kisses. He loved the sounds the man made. And if kissing made him feel that good...

Tony lowered Steve's boxers, pulled them off and threw them on the floor. He then wasted no time in wrapping his lips around Steve's cock. Steve was already hard, just from the sensation of being kissed and touched. When he felt Tony's mouth on him, he shuddered.

"Oh.. my...God..."

Tony could see Steve gripping on to the bedsheets, and could feel his legs shaking.

Soon enough, Tony could feel that Steve was about to come. His dick was harder, and he was moaning more. It was then that Tony stopped sucking on him.

"Wait.. what?!" Steve asked, "Tonnyyyy!"

"Hold on a minute." Tony kept one hand on Steve's cock, and pushed Steve's legs apart with the other. Then he stuck his index and middle fingers into his mouth. "Think you're ready to go all the way?"

"Yes, please," Steve begged.

"Okay. I'm gonna get you ready."

Tony lifted Steve's legs and reached under him, then inserted his fingers.

He started off gently, just touching the outside of Steve's hole. This caused Steve to moan and again beg for more, so Tony stuck his fingers in deeper. Slowly, he continued to work his way in, doing his best not to hurt Steve.

"Tonyyy!" Steve said, after he'd gotten his fingers all the way in, "Please!"

"Alright, alright." Tony threw off his jacket and took off his shirt, undid his pants and let the drop to the ground along with his boxers. He was still hard from listening to Steve's begging and moaning. Quickly, he spit into his palm and rubbed it on his cock.

"Okay. Ready?"

"Tony!"

"Okay okay." Tony lifted Steve's legs again, thus allowing himself access.

Steve groaned as the tip of Tony's penis touched him, then groaned again as Tony pushed in a little deeper.

"Ready for more?"

"Yes..." Steve sighed.

Tony pushed in farther and Steve let out a different sound. It seemed like he was in pain.

"Too deep?"

"Yes," Steve squeaked.

"It's okay."

It took quite a while for Tony to get all the way in, but when he did, it was great. He hadn't felt anything so tight in a very, very long time. As he pushed in and out, Steve rubbed his own cock. Tony looked at him, lying back with his eyes closed and mouth open, looking as if he was experiencing pure bliss.

Soon enough Steve came, and then Tony came inside of him. The two laid there for a while, sticky, sweaty and feeling completely spent.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

As much as Tony enjoyed lying near Steve, he didn't like feeling as gross as he did.

"Hey, I'm gonna go take a shower," he said, pushing himself up.

Steve looked at him and smiled. "I need one too."

"Wanna come with?"

"Sure."

Steve got up and walked with Tony to the bathroom. The brunette turned on the hot water, and let Steve step in first.

"Oh, that feels good," Steve said, as the water hit his skin. He moved a little so that Tony could wash off, too.

For a few minutes the two simply stood under the water, letting it clean them. Both were too tired and sore for another round.

Then, Steve spoke up.

"So," he said, looking at Tony.

"So..."

"So does this mean we're together now?"

Tony's eyes got wide. He hadn't expected that question. Not yet at least.

"Together?"

"Yeah, like aren't you my boyfriend now?

"Er. I guess so." Even though the water was near scalding, Tony barely felt it now. It seemed like his entire body had gone numb. Fuck. What had he done?! Stupid cock, doing all the thinking for him! Some genius he was. Now everything was going to go to shit. It always did.

"Hello, Earth to Tony," Steve said, waving his hand in front of Tony's face.

"Huh?"

"You've just been standing there staring into space."

"Oh. Sorry."

Steve then started to look concerned. "Is... is everything okay?"

"Uh. Yeah. Yeah, it is. I'm just tired." Really, though, Tony felt his heart racing. He'd have to figure something out. Some way to let Steve down nicely. He couldn't risk everything. Even if it felt right, he couldn't. Fuck.

"Let's go lie down then," Steve suggested, again breaking Tony out of his trance.

"Yeah. Good idea."

00

Tony stayed with Steve until the blonde fell asleep. Then he snuck out. It was three am, but he wasn't tired. If anything, he needed a drink. Big time. He made his way towards his bar and poured himself a generous amount of whiskey.

After a few shots, Tony began to relax. Maybe things were not as bad as he thought they were. Maybe Steve would wake up and realize what happened and not want anything to do with him. He had been pretty drunk, after all. The shit that Tony had given him had been extremely strong, even for someone with a metabolism like Steve's.

Or maybe Steve wouldn't care if Tony didn't want a relationship. The only thing that Tony was dreading was having to talk to him about it. The whole break up conversation always went badly, no matter what. Hopefully Steve would be cool about it. Hopefully.

00

The next morning, Tony woke up to find Steve sitting next to his bed, staring at him.

"Gah!" Tony yelled, sitting up. "What the fuck?!"

Steve frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well what the fuck are you doing in my bedroom at... what time is it?"

Steve's expression fell further. "Eleven fifteen. You weren't there when I woke up and I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"So you sat here and watched me sleep?! JARVIS! Why'd you let him in?"

"I noted his presence to you several times, sir, but you were passed out drunk, for lack of better words."

Oh. Yeah. He'd had a lot to drink last night. That explained things a bit.

"Yeah, okay, whatever."

"You went drinking last night?" Steve asked, still looking upset.

"I had a few shots is all. Had to think about things."

"Oh." Suddenly, Steve's face brightened. "I'll go make you some breakfast. You must be hungry."

Tony hadn't expected that.

"Uh. Okay."

Steve smiled at him and walked off to the kitchen.

00

Steve and Tony ate breakfast together in Tony's room. As they ate, Tony tried to determine how much of last night Steve remembered.

"Did you enjoy last night?" Tony asked, taking a bite of his toast. Steve had arranged the food to have little happy faces all over it, even going so far as to carve them into the bread. Probably his attempt at putting Tony in a good mood. Really, it creeped Tony out out a bit.

"It was great," Steve answered, smiling again. He reached out and took Tony's free hand. "Thank you."

"For sex?"

"For making it special."

"Sure."

From thereon, the two finished their meal in silence. Much as Steve enjoyed being around Tony it was becoming clear that the inventor wanted to be alone. Tony had made an excuse about feeling hungover, and Steve forced himself to believe it. Their relationship had just started. What could be going wrong so soon?

00

Tony locked himself in his lab for the rest of the day. And for the rest of the evening. Steve had come down twice, asking if he needed anything, but Tony had told him all was well and Steve had left.

He was hoping that if he ignored Steve long enough, the soldier would get the message. He didn't want to have to actually say it. And yet, the thought of being apart from Steve made Tony sad. He did honestly care for Steve. Every time he saw a look of disappointment on Steve's face, it took all of Tony's strength not to say something, to kiss him or hold his hand – to do _something_ to make the blonde feel better.

He had to be strong, though. Cutting off the relationship now would hurt less than doing it later.

00

Steve couldn't figure out what to do. Last night had been wonderful, better than he'd ever expected his first time to be. And Tony had agreed that they were together, now, but something was obviously off.

Steve wondered if Tony had lied about everything. Maybe Tony really didn't want a relationship. Then again, maybe Tony was just having a bad day. He was cranky and reclusive sometimes, especially if he was preoccupied with a new invention or tweaking his suit. Tony had looked very busy in the lab, after all. Maybe that was it.

Steve decided to give it another day. Maybe tomorrow would be better.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

The next day, things did not get better. Nor did they change for the rest of the week. Steve had tried everything that he could think of to make Tony happy, but nothing had worked. Tony had made it clear that Steve was an annoyance that he didn't want to deal with.

At first Steve had felt confused. Why would Tony have put so much effort into courting him, only to ignore him?

But, after a week of rejection, he mainly felt hurt. He'd given Tony everything. Even worse, Tony had known how much it had meant to him! He may have been drunk but he remembered telling Tony how he'd never been with anyone before, and how important it was that Tony cared about him.

To deal with the hurt, Steve had taken to going for long runs. He'd run twenty, thirty miles, trying his best to focus on something else. It worked, to an extent. Even though he was a super human, running thirty miles tired him out, and by the end of it all Steve wanted to do was sleep.

Everyone, including Tony, had noticed changes in Steve's behavior. He was quieter, and seemed to be eating a lot less. If someone asked him a question, he gave one word answers. His once bright eyes had a look of sadness to them.

The other Avengers had stepped up and tried to talk to him. Tried to figure out what was bothering him, what was making him so depressed. Steve refused to tell them, though. The only one who had any idea of what was going on was Tasha. She didn't push Steve, though. The weird relationship that the Captain and Tony had really wasn't her business, and she didn't want to get into the middle of it. She had already done enough damage, having told Tony about Steve's lack of sexual experience.

00

Tony was getting more and more concerned about Steve. He and Steve had yet to have the official 'talk', but Tony figured that it would come soon.

And he was right.

A week after the start of their 'relationship', Steve had once again shown up in Tony's lab. He looked tired, worn, like he had been up all night thinking or worrying. His nails were bitten down pretty far. Obviously he had been nervous about something.

Tony looked up when he heard Steve enter.

"Hello," he greeted.

"Hi Tony."

Steve looked like he was going to cry, and Tony found that he wanted nothing more but to hold him and tell him that everything was okay. It wasn't, though. This would never work.

"We need to talk," Tony said, putting his tools down.

"I know." Steve braced himself as much as possible for what he knew was about to happen.

"Steve, you're a great guy, but I don't think that things will work between us." Tony couldn't look Steve in the eyes as he said this. Seeing the hurt that he caused would be too much for him.

Steve took a step closer. "I don't understand, Tony. I don't get it. What's changed? I thought you wanted this. Did I do something wrong?"

Tony sighed. "No, Steve. God. No, you haven't done anything wrong. Please, please don't blame yourself."

"I don't understand," Steve said again.

"It just. It won't work. We'll end up miserable and hating each other. It's better just to end it now."

"But...I thought you cared .I gave you everything," Steve said, voice cracking. He couldn't hold back the tears any longer. He felt like he had been kicked in the stomach.

When Tony saw him crying, it hurt him as well. He was a terrible person. Horrible. He'd hurt Steve. Steve, who was so kind and caring and good. Tasha had been right. He shouldn't have done this.

"I do care about you. That's why I think it should end now. I don't want to hurt you later."

Steve shook his head. "But you won't hurt me! Not if you don't want to. You're hurting me now, anyway."

"I know. I'm sorry." Tony reached out to wipe a tear away from Steve's face, but Steve moved away from him.

"Don't touch me," Steve said. He sounded angry now.

"You got what you wanted out of me. I hope you're happy." The soldier turned and began walking away.

Tony watched him as he left. He expected Steve to go straight up, but the blonde stopped halfway to the door and turned around.

"You know what? Just stay away from me, Stark. Don't talk to me. Don't come near me. You've done enough."

"You live in MY freaking tower!"

"Stay the heck away from my room, then."

"Obviously I would."

Steve seemed to get even more angry at Tony's comment.

"BYE, Stark."

Steve walked up the stairs and slammed the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Mpreg starts here. Just giving everyone a warning.**

Ch. 7

In the weeks after the breakup, Steve did a great job of completely ignoring Tony. He even went out of his way to alter his schedule so that there was little chance of running into Tony in the hallways or kitchen.

Tony was okay with that. He understood that he had hurt Steve very deeply, and that it would take time to heal. He hoped that in time, Steve would get over it and they could be friends again. But for now he wasn't pushing it.

The rest of the team finally realized what had happened, too. Tasha had finally broke down and told them after Clint had heard Steve throwing furniture around in his room out of anger. No one had ever seen Steve get so angry before, so all of them were worried.

Once they found out what Tony had done, everyone had ganged up on him. Bruce had explained how disappointed he was in Tony for hurting Steve how he did. Clint had started ignoring Tony almost as much as Steve was, and Tasha took every chance she could get to make him feel guilty.

The three had all tried to talk to Steve as well, but he wouldn't have it. Every time they asked about what had happened, he would tell them that he didn't want to discuss it. So they also ended up leaving him alone. Cap had his own ways of coping. No one wanted to interfere with that.

00

Three weeks after Steve and Tony had officially broken up, Steve woke up feeling strange. At first, he felt dizzy, which was weird because he was still lying down.

He sat up, hoping that doing so would clear his head, but it just made things worse. Then he suddenly felt sick. Nauseous. Steve got out of bed and made a break for the bathroom, getting there just in time. He spent the next twenty minutes on his knees, throwing up everything in his system.

00

Around 10am, Steve started to feel a bit better. He wondered why he had been so sick earlier, but put it off to eating some bad food or something to that extent. Even he wasn't exempt from things such as food poisoning. He hadn't been taking care of himself too well, anyway. His body was probably more susceptible to sickness because of it.

The rest of the day went on as normal. Steve saw Tony once, and they'd said hi to each other, but that was about it. Just _seeing_ Tony made Steve hurt. It made him want to scream and cry and break things. He felt so angry, so used. He'd obviously meant nothing Tony, yet that one night that they had together had meant everything to him. He'd given Tony all of him, and Tony had thrown it away.

00

Eight days later and Steve was still feeling like shit every morning. Only now, the nausea had started extending into the afternoon as well. He had been hiding it pretty well until now. Now, he couldn't.

Steve had had the unfortunate experience of getting sick in front of Bruce. They'd been eating some lunch, and something about the tuna fish that Bruce had on his sandwich had made Steve feel ill. The smell of it got to him.

He tried to ignore it, to think of other things, but it didn't work. Soon enough he was racing towards the sink, and throwing up everything he had eaten.

Bruce had rushed over to help.

"Whoa, Steve, are you okay?"

Steve was too busy puking to answer. When he was finally finished, he felt terrible. He leaned up against the sink, trying to keep from falling over.

"You don't look so good," Bruce said, stating the obvious.

"I don't feel so good."

"Let's get you down to the medical center, okay?" Bruce asked, helping Steve up.

"Okay." Steve felt terribly weak. He hadn't felt this weak since that time that he'd had pneumonia, and Tony had taken care of him.

Ugh. Tony. He tried to push the thought of Stark from his mind. Instead, he tried to focus on keeping upright while he walked. Really, he felt like he was about to collapse.

Thankfully the medical room wasn't too far away. Once they were there, Bruce helped him onto a bed, then placed an emesis basin in his hands. "In case you feel sick again," the doctor explained.

Once Steve was settled in, Bruce pulled a chair over and took out a notepad. "How long have you been feeling like this? You look pretty pale."

"A little over a week. It wasn't as bad before. It used to just happen in the mornings, but lately it's getting worse."

Bruce scribbled down some notes. "Hm. Any other problems?"

"I dunno. I've been tired lately, and I'm usually never tired. Not all the time at least."

"So constant fatigue," Bruce said, writing once again. "Could be because of the vomiting. But your body should be able to withstand that, even if it's been going on for a few days. Alright... I'm going to help you lie down so I can do a more thorough exam.

Bruce adjusted the bed so that Steve could lie down on it, then pulled up Steve's shirt.

"Does this hurt?" Bruce asked, as he pressed his fingers into the area above Steve's belly button.

"A little."

"Okay. What about here?" he felt a little bit lower.

Steve grimaced. "That hurts."

"Alright." Bruce removed his hand and pulled Steve's shirt down. "The thing that worries me is the length of time that you've been sick. Even if it is a virus, or food poisoning, or the stomach flu, it should've been out of your system within a day, two at most."

"Do you think the serum is wearing off?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know enough about it to really say. If I took some blood, I might be able to get more answers."

"Take it!", Steve said, holding his arm out. He wanted whatever was wrong with him to be fixed. Now that Bruce had pointed out how strange it was that he had been sick for so long, he felt nervous.

"Okay, okay. Let me go get a tourniquet and a needle." Bruce rummaged through a drawer, pulling both out. After taking a few vials of blood, he sent Steve on his way, giving him instructions to come get him if he felt any worse.

00

It took two days for Bruce to finish the blood tests. This was because of an abnormal result that had come up when he had tested Steve's hormone levels. The test had noted high amounts of HGC in Steve's blood, but that was impossible. HGC was the pregnancy hormone.

Bruce re-tested the blood, then when he got the same result, tested it for a third time, using a different machine. When that one, too, came up with the same result, he sent the blood to a trusted third party lab. The man in charge of testing had called him back the next day. His tests also showed elevated HGC levels.

The only thing left to do was to bring Steve in and perform an ultrasound to confirm. If it was true, if Steve was pregnant, Bruce had a theory about how it had happened. He would wait until after the ultrasound to discuss that, though.

When Steve came in, he looked paler and sicker than he had before. He explained that he had been throwing up almost constantly for the past two days. When Bruce mentioned doing an ultrasound, Steve jumped at the chance. He would do anything to help Bruce figure out what was wrong.

Bruce helped Steve onto the table and again had him pull up his shirt. He also had him pull down his jeans, so that his entire abdomen was exposed.

"This is gonna be cold," Bruce explained, showing Steve the container of gel that he was going to use. He spread it over Steve's stomach, then held up the ultrasound wand.

"I'm going to use this to see what's going on."

"Go for it."

It took Bruce less than a minute to find the source of Steve's sickness. It was clear as day, at least to Bruce.

"Good lord," Bruce muttered, looking at the monitor.

"What? What's wrong?" Steve asked nervously.

Bruce took a deep breath. "I've figured out why you've been getting sick and feeling tired."

"Well what is it? Am I dying or something?" Steve still looked nervous.

"No. You're not dying. Listen, what I'm about to tell you might be a huge shock to you, so please, try to remain calm."

"Just tell me!" Steve said, then he softened his tone. "Please."

"You're pregnant. See that?" Bruce said, pointing to what looked like a dark spot on the monitor. "That's the fetus."

Steve's jaw dropped, but then his expression changed. He started to grin. "Very funny, Bruce. Good idea trying to play a joke and all, but seriously, what's wrong?"

Bruce still looked serious. "I'm not joking. I swear on it. You're pregnant. That right there is the baby that's developing inside you."

The smile left Steve's face. He said nothing, but Bruce could see his hands starting to tremble.

"Are you okay?" Bruce asked.

"No. No I'm not okay. How is this possible?!"

Bruce grabbed a towel, and began wiping the gel off Steve's stomach. "I have a theory on that, actually."

"Well spit it out! It's not every day that a man gets pregnant!"

Bruce nodded. "Before the serum, you were very small, yes? Very weak. On the shorter side, compared to other men?"

"Yeah. Don't remind me."

"Did you have a lot of body hair? Or a growth spurt during puberty?"

"Well... no, I didn't have to shave too often. And I grew maybe two inches when I was in high school. My mom was short, though, too."

"Well.. I think the reason that you were so much smaller and weaker had to do with you having two sets of organs."

Again, Steve's jaw dropped. "I can guarantee you that I am one hundred percent male!"

"On the outside, yes, you look to be male, but I think you have female sex organs on the inside. It's a rare condition called Hermaphroditism and it happens when a person has the chromosomes of a woman, the ovaries of a woman, but the external genitalia of a male. I honestly cannot think of any other way that this would have happened, and it makes sense, considering your history."

"So you're saying that I'm a woman internally."

"Yes. The serum enhanced your male features but your internal sex organs still remain."

"You've _got _to be kidding me!"

"I'm not. I can't think of any other way for this to happen, besides some type of magic, but Loki hasn't been by in over a year. I'm sorry. I really am. If it helps at all, I still consider you to be a male, and I'm sure everyone on the team will as well. Really, the serum worked so well, no one would've suspected that you were intersex."

Steve felt sick. Like he had to throw up. Bruce saw him pale and immediately picked up a bowl and shoved it into Steve's hands. He rubbed Steve's back as he dry heaved. There wasn't anything left in his system to vomit out. When he was finally finished, he looked up, tears running down his face.

"I don't know what to do," Steve said, "Oh, God. Oh God." He started breathing more quickly.

Realizing that his patient was having a panic attack, Bruce put his hands on Steve's shoulders.

"Steve!"

Steve looked up at him, but continued to hyperventilate.

"Steve, calm down dammit!"

Steve tried to calm his breathing as best he could.

"Good. Relax. You're not alone. I'll be here to help you. And of course, there's the option to terminate."

Steve frantically shook his head 'no'. He couldn't do that. That would be wrong. It wasn't the baby's fault that it existed. It was his fault, for letting Tony- _Fuck_. Tony was the other parent. Steve felt like he was going to be sick again, but managed to hold it back.

"Listen, I think you ought to stay here overnight, or let me stay in your room so I can monitor you. You're clearly very upset and I don't feel right leaving you alone."

Steve didn't want to be alone, either. He didn't think he could handle being alone yet. Having to face this without any help.

"Please stay," Steve finally said, eyes pleading. He was still crying, but not as hard as he had been before.

"I will. It'll be okay, Cap. I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8

Bruce had ended up staying in Steve's room. Keeping him in the medical center would have attracted attention, and Steve didn't want anyone to know what was going on. Not yet, at least.

The two men had discussed it during the night. Steve mainly seemed to be afraid that the rest of the team would reject him. And, he had no idea how Tony would react. He had questioned whether he even wanted to tell Tony about it, but decided that he had to. It was the right thing to do. Even if Tony wanted nothing to do with the child, even though he had treated Steve like shit, he still had a right to know that he would soon be a father.

00

It was now 3:21 in the morning. Steve had yet to fall asleep. Bruce was tired, and wanted to sleep, but was staying up to keep Steve company. They were still on the subject of talking to Tony.

"What if he throws me out? It's his tower, after all."

"Then I'll help you find a place to live."

They'd been over this a few times, but Steve kept coming back to it. He seemed to want reassurance that at least one person would stick by his side.

"But then the rest of the team will hate you for helping me."

Bruce sighed. "For the last time, Steve, I really don't think that the rest of the team will hate you."

"Fury's going to be mad."

"Probably. But I doubt that even he would hate you."

"What if he throws me off the team?"

"He won't. He values you too much."

"But what if he does?"

"Then you can fight the baddies on your own like you did before."

Steve frowned. "I had a bunch of good guys helping me back then."

"I don't know what to tell you," Bruce said, trying to hide his annoyance. "I will always be there to help you and be your friend. Does that help at all?"

"Actually, it does."

"Good."

There was a silence for a few minutes. Eventually both men fell into an uneasy sleep.

00

Steve decided to tell Tony about the baby the following day. If he waited any longer the nervousness he felt would tear him apart. Best to just get it over with. He had asked Bruce to come along both for moral support and in case Tony thought that he was lying.

Around noon, the two went down to Tony's lab. He had been spending almost all of his time there lately, hidden away from everything.

Steve went down first, followed by Bruce. Tony heard their footsteps and turned around.

"Oh. Hi," he said, looking a bit disappointed. He didn't really feel like dealing with some type of guilt trip right now. He had heard that Steve had gotten sick and figured that Bruce was going to try to put the blame on him for it. If he hadn't hurt Steve maybe he would've taken better care of himself, or something stupid like that. Tony wasn't going to take it, though. If things started going down that path he would tell Bruce and Steve to leave.

"Hi," Steve replied, softly.

"Steve has something to tell you," Bruce said, looking Tony straight in the eyes.

Tony crossed his arms over his chest. "And what's that?"

"I'm pregnant and the kid is yours."

Steve had said the sentence very quietly. Tony had to strain to hear him, but he must have heard wrong.

"Can you say that again? I thought you said that you're pregnant and that the kid is mine."

Steve took a deep breath. "That's what I said, yes."

Steve had expected Tony to get angry, to tell him to pack his stuff and never come back. And he was right, Tony was angry, but for a different reason than Steve had imagined.

"You know what?" Tony said, stepping closer to Bruce and Steve, "I'm tired of your sick fucking games. Both of you. You especially, Banner. If you think it's funny to come down here and play mind games with me then you're fucking with the wrong man."

Steve's eyes got wide, and he took a step back. He looked like he was about to cry. Bruce remained where he was, though.

"He's not lying, Tony," Bruce said, "Nor am I. He's really pregnant. I can prove it if you don't believe me."

Tony was surprised that Bruce had stuck to his guns.

"So you can prove that Steve, a man, who by all rights should be completely unable to get pregnant, is in fact pregnant? You are a far worse doctor than I ever imagined," Tony spat.

"You may not want to believe it but it's true. I did all the tests three times over, I sent them out to a third party lab, and I did an ultrasound on top of it. He's pregnant. The baby is yours. Steve felt that it was right to tell you about it."

Tony and Bruce glanced over at Steve, who was still standing by himself, looking very upset.

Tony shook his head. "Get out of my tower. Now. I want you both gone in an hour."

"Tony-" Bruce started, but Tony held up his hand, as if telling him to stop.

"Out. Steve, I'm sorry that I hurt you, but this has gone too far. I thought you were better than that."

Bruce half expected Steve to argue with Tony, or at least to say something to defend himself. He didn't, though. Steve just looked at Tony sadly, and agreed to leave.

00

Two hours later, Bruce and Steve were checked into the Millennium Hotel. This would be where they would call home until they could find somewhere more permanent.

They had separate rooms, but Steve preferred to stay near Bruce. He knew it was pathetic, that he was likely annoying his only friend, but the thought of being alone, where he would have nothing to do but think about everything was worse. Bruce said nothing about it. He let Steve take a nap on the bed while he researched potential apartments.

That was another thing. Bruce doubted that Steve would be okay living alone. Not right now, at least. Maybe in a few months… but then, someone ought to be there in case there were any complications with the pregnancy.

As he was writing down the phone number for a leasing office, Bruce's cell phone rang. The caller ID stated that it was Clint calling. Not wanting to wake Steve up, Bruce took the call out on the patio.

"Hey, Clint."

"Hey yourself. Where are you guys? We searched everywhere for you but Tony said that you left."

Bruce rolled his eyes. Of course Tony wouldn't take blame for this.

"Tony told us to leave."

"What? Why? By the way, Tasha's here with me."

"Hi Bruce!" Tasha called out.

"Hi. Listen, it's really hard to explain. I think Steve should talk to you about it."

"Well put him on!" Clint answered.

"He's sleeping now. Can I have him call you back when he wakes up? He really needs to rest, especially now."

"What's that supposed to mean? Wait, is Cap sick or something? I know he's been kinda pale lately but I didn't think it was that bad."

"He's not really sick. Like I said, it's hard to explain. I'll have him call you later."

"Okay," Clint agreed. "But just so you know, we're worried about you guys."

"Thanks. We'll be okay. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Okay."

Bruce hung up the phone and walked back in. Steve was still sleeping. Bruce went back to his computer and continued his search.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch. 9

When Steve woke up Bruce told him that Clint and Tasha had called, and that they were concerned about him.

"I told them that you'd call them back to discuss what was going on."

"Ugh," Steve groaned, "Why'd you do that? I'm not ready yet!"

Bruce shrugged. "You can't keep it from them forever. Within the next few months it will be obvious."

"I know, I know." Steve sighed. "I guess you're right. Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure." Bruce handed the phone over. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No!", Steve said, shaking his head. "I mean...I'd prefer if you stayed. Do you think they're going to be upset?"

"I think they will be more upset at Tony than they will be at you," Bruce said, honestly.

"I sure hope you're right."

Steve flipped open the phone and began searching for Clint's phone number. He dialed it. After four rings, Clint picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Clint. It's Steve."

"Good to hear from you! Hold on, let me get Tasha." Steve could hear Clint moving around as he went to get the other agent. A few seconds later, he heard her voice.

"Hi Steven," Tasha said.

"Hi Miss Romanov."

"So what happened?" Clint asked. "You guys just kinda disappeared!"

Steve sighed again. "Well... are you guys sitting down? Because you might want to if you're not."

"Okay..." Clint and Natasha found a place to sit. "Go ahead."

"You're not going to believe me, but I promise, no, I swear that it's true. Bruce will tell you too. I'm not lying. I wish it wasn't true, but it is, and-"

"What is it?" Clint interrupted.

"I'm... pregnant. With Tony's child."

There was a silence on the other end of the line, and Steve braced himself to be yelled at once again.

"I know you probably don't believe me, or you think I'm some freak," Steve continued.

"We believe you," Tasha finally said, "It's just a shock, is all."

"Bruce tested you and everything?" Clint asked.

"He did the tests three times. Sent them to another lab, too, and he did an ultrasound. I saw it, Clint. I saw the baby."

"Wow..."

"I know, it's horrible, I'm a terrible freak and I'll disgrace the team. I didn't know that it could happen, I really didn't."

"Shh, stop it," Tasha said, sounding a bit annoyed. "It is an odd situation but you will not disgrace us."

"Yeah, you really won't," Clint agreed. "Besides, we can figure something out to hide it from the public if necessary."

Steve almost dropped the phone. He hadn't considered that – telling the public. They'd see it eventually.

"Steve, I can practically hear you panicking over there," Clint said, "Calm down."

The soldier let go of a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"But wait... aren't you guys angry at me?"

"Of course not!" Tasha and Clint answered at the same time.

"We're just concerned about you," Clint added. "Where are you guys staying?"

"The Millennium Hotel."

"We'll be over in a few minutes," Clint said, "See you then."

00

Getting to the hotel proved more challenging than Clint and Tasha had originally thought. They'd gone to get Thor, having told him the news as they tried to make their way out, but they were soon stopped by Tony.

"Going to see Steve?" Tony asked.

"Yes, not that it's any of your business," Tasha replied, angrily. She could barely stand even speaking to Tony.

"It is my business, actually," Tony stated, "He's telling lies that involve me."

"He's not lying," Clint said, "Bruce tested him three times. Besides, when have you ever known Cap to lie?"

"I agree that it is unlikely that the Captain is lying," Thor agreed.

"Even if he's not, you don't want to get involved. Imagine the publicity from something like that! Captain America turning out to be a total freak! The world would mock us!"

"So?" Thor asked, "Let them laugh."

"Yeah," Clint said, "Steve's our friend and he needs support right now. That is more important than our image."

"Yeah? Well wait until Fury hears about it. I'm sure he'll be _thrilled_," Tony said, grinning sadistically.

Tasha rolled her eyes. "We are leaving now, Stark. We will see you later."

With that, the three made their way out.

00

Walking into the hotel had almost been as much of a challenge as getting out of Stark Tower. The hotel staff had let it slip that Captain America was staying there, and there was a crowd of fans gathered outside by the time the other Avengers arrived. As soon as the crowd caught sight of them, they pounced. Thor had ended up pushing everyone throw the crowd and into the hotel.

Finally, a full hour after speaking to Steve, the group arrived at the hotel room. Bruce let them in.

"He's on the patio," Bruce told them, pointing towards the sliding glass doors.

The three made their way over to Steve. The way he was standing, shoulders slumped and leaning up against the gate made it clear that he was upset.

"Steven," Tasha said, coming up behind him.

Steve turned to see everyone standing there, looking very worried.

"Hi," Steve said, forcing a smile.

Tasha went over and gave Steve a hug, holding on to him for a few seconds. Clint and Thor did the same.

"Thor, I guess you heard?" Steve asked.

Thor nodded. "Yes. If it is of any help, I believe you. My brother has had several children himself."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. So I guess it isn't so weird to you then."

"It is not."

"How are you feeling?" Tasha questioned, looking Steve over. He still looked terrible. His face looked gaunt and there were bags under his eyes, and it looked like he had been crying recently.

"I've been better, but I'm glad that you're all here. It means a lot."

Just then, Clint's cell phone rang.

"Damn," he said, looking at the caller ID. Fury was calling.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10

Clint sighed, and picked up the phone. He was sure that Fury was going to be angry.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Agent Barton. I take it you know why I'm calling?"

"I believe so."

"Is he with you?" Oddly, Fury sounded calm.

"Why do you need to know?"

"I wanted to be sure that someone with taking care of him."

"Oh. Really?" Clint was shocked. Everyone looked over at him, confused by his tone of voice.

"Yes really. If he's okay enough for it, I'd like to meet you all at HQ in an hour."

"Why?"

"There's some things we need to discuss."

"Okay. Fine."

"See you then."

The line went dead.

00

Steve had been extremely reluctant to meet with Fury. He only agreed to go because Clint had told him about how calm Fury had been. Still, Steve was afraid of what might happen. Fury might kick him off the team. That was his biggest fear.

When the group showed up at HQ they were lead into a large conference room where Fury was waiting. Steve stopped in the doorway when he saw who else was there. Tony was sitting at the head of the table.

"Don't worry, Captain. You can come in," Fury said. His tone was even. "Stark will not bother you."

Frowning, Steve made his way inside and sat as far away from Tony as possible. The other Avengers followed.

Once everyone was seated, Fury closed the door.

"This room is sound proof. Anything we discuss remains here. Now," he said, looking at Steve, "I believe we have something important to talk about. Stark informed me of your condition earlier today."

Steve's shoulders slumped. "Yes. It's true."

"And Bruce, you can attest to this?"

Bruce nodded his head. "I can. I ran several tests and performed an ultrasound."

"I see. Captain, did you have any idea that this could happen?"

"No," Steve answered, honestly. "I didn't."

"You know what, stop right there," Tony said. He looked at Fury. "I can't believe that you're falling for this. He's a man! Men can't get pregnant! Christ, didn't you take health in elementary school? It's a physical impossibility!"

"Creating a super serum to make the Captain as strong as he is was considered a physical impossibility, as is Bruce's condition. No one would have thought it was possible a hundred years ago. Look at yourself, as well. Do you think that living with an arc reactor in your chest would have been considered possible?"

Tony opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He couldn't really argue that. He crossed his arms, looking annoyed.

"If you really need proof I could show you the ultrasound photos, if Steve is okay with that," Bruce offered.

"No thanks."

"Assuming that Captain Rogers is in fact with child, then some changes will need to be made," Fury continued.

Steve braced himself for what was coming next. Tasha placed a hand on Steve's leg, trying to comfort him.

Fury saw this and rolled his eyes. "I'm not throwing you off the team, Captain," he said, as if he could read Steve's mind.

"You're not?" Steve sat up a little straighter.

"Of course not. You're too valuable. Nonetheless, for the next eight months you will be unable to fight. What I propose is a temporary leave of absence. From now until your child is born, you'll not be allowed into combat. You will still be consulted for strategy, should an event occur where the Avengers are needed. After the child is born we will re-evaluate your physical and mental status to decide when you can return to action."

Steve didn't like the thought of being unable to fight alongside the others, but he knew that doing so would be a bad idea.

"That sounds...fair. And logical."

Fury half smiled at him. "Good. I'm glad that you agree. Someone else will have to take over as team leader, though."

Tony raised his hand, "Uh, sitting right here!"

"Not you, Stark."

"Why not?!" Tony seemed offended, "I'm clearly the best choice for a replacement."

"Your behavior has been deplorable. You should consider yourself lucky that I've not kicked you off the team. You have hurt your fellow Avengers, and you went behind their backs to contact me. Those are _not_ the actions of a good leader."

Tony knew that Fury was correct. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew it. It wasn't that he hated Steve, or was really even all that angry at him. He just didn't know how to handle the situation. He never had been good at dealing with emotions. He was always better at fixing things physically. Looking at Steve, and how he seemed so weak and vulnerable hurt Tony, though. It was his fault.

"You're right."

Everyone, including Fury, seemed shocked at Tony's response.

"I hurt Cap. I hurt everyone else. I don't deserve the spot." Tony looked at Steve, "I'm sorry for what I did to you."

There was a silence as everyone tried to take in what Tony had just said. Finally, Clint spoke up.

"Wow. Never thought that I'd hear Tony Stark apologize for something."

Tony shrugged, but said nothing.

"Well, then," Fury said, "Perhaps there's a chance you can mend your friendships. Anyhow, I'll be recruiting another person to take over in the Captain's absence. If they accept, you will meet with them next week."

Everyone agreed.

With that, Fury opened the door to let everyone out. Fury, Clint and Tasha walked out first, followed by Thor. Steve was about to leave when Tony grabbed his arm.

"Steve. Can you stay? I think we need to talk."


	11. Chapter 11

Ch. 11

"Steve. Can you stay? I think we need to talk."

Steve frowned and sat back down. "What is it, Tony?"

Tony shut the door and took a seat next to Steve.

"You're really pregnant?"

Steve let out a deep sigh. "Yes, Tony, I am."

"And it's definitely mine?"

"Who else's could it be? Unless you've forgotten that you took my virginity and devastated me after that and all."

Tony cringed. "I know, I know. Fuck. I'm sorry, Steve. I'm not good at this."

"Obviously not."

"If... if it's true, then I'll step up and do my best to help you. If you want my help, of course."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden change in heart? This morning you told me to leave!"

"I told you I'm not good at this, Steve. I don't know what to do. Every relationship I've ever had has gone to hell. I didn't want it to be the same with you. I was hoping that if I cut it off early there wouldn't be as much drama. I didn't expect _this_ to happen."

"I need to know one thing. Do you actually care about me? Or was that just a lie to get into my pants?"

"I care about you. Just seeing you before, sitting there looking all sad hurt me. I don't want to hurt you, Steve. That's the whole problem here."

"But you don't want a relationship."

"I don't know. I guess we have to have one, if we're going to be having a kid. At the very least we ought to be friends. Maybe we can just see where it goes. Unless you don't want me to be around, that is."

"No. I want the kid to have both of it's parents in its life. It's just going to be hard."

"I understand. I guess we should start by getting you moved back into the Tower."

"Yeah. Okay."

"I'll send someone over to pick you up tonight."

00

Steve and Bruce arrived back at Stark Tower a little after eight. Tony helped them bring their suitcases to the elevator.

"Hey, Tony, my room's on the fourth floor," Steve said, seeing Tony hit the buttons for the 5 and 6.

"Not anymore. You're going to stay on the same floor with me in case you need any help."

"Oh."

The three continued going up, first dropping Bruce off on the fifth floor and then up to the sixth where Tony lived.

Tony led Steve down the hall, stopping right outside of his room. Tony pointed to the door next to it.

"That's your room. It's connected to mine, that way if you need anything I can be right over."

Steve pushed the door open. Tony had already decorated the room to look exactly like Steve's old room.

"You didn't have to do that, Tony," Steve said, looking it over. "I could've taken everything up myself."

"Didn't want you to have to exert yourself more than necessary."

"I'm pregnant, not crippled," Steve replied. "But... thanks. That was nice of you."

"Not a problem." Tony picked up Steve's suitcase and brought it into the room. "I can help you unpack," he offered.

"Nah. It's okay. I'm actually kinda tired, I want to get some sleep."

Tony glanced at the clock. It was barely past eight, but Steve probably had to rest more than usual.

"Yeah, sure. Just come get me if you need anything, alright?"

"Okay, Tony," Steve said, cracking a smile. "I'll see you later."

"Later."

00

Steve slept peacefully for a few hours until an odd sensation woke him up. He felt incredibly hot. He was actually sweating, that's how bad it was.

"JARVIS, lower the temperature?" Steve asked, throwing his blanket off. "It's boiling in here."

"Sir, the temperature is fifty five degrees."

"That's it? It feels way hotter."

"Perhaps taking a cold shower would help," the AI suggested.

"Good idea." Steve got out of bed and made his way over to the bathroom attached to his room. It was huge, decked out with both a hot tub and a large shower. Tony definitely gave him one of the best rooms available.

Steve turned the water on in the shower and walked in. He was still way too hot and was getting more uncomfortable each minute. The cold water felt good on his warm skin, and Steve decided to enjoy it for as long as possible.

Sadly for him, about ten minutes in he began to feel sick. Instead of feeling warm his body felt like it was freezing, and the nausea that had plagued him for much of the previous day had returned. It came on so quickly that Steve barely made it to the toilet in time, even though it was only a few feet away.

As he began to throw up, the bathroom door opened. Tony walked in, and placed a hand on Steve's back. Steve could hear Tony mumbling something but was too focused on being sick to understand it. It was only after he finished that he understood. Tony was repeating "It'll be okay" under his breath, trying to keep Steve calm.

Steve leaned back against a wall, breathing heavily. "Ugh," he sighed, resting a hand on his stomach. He could see Tony reaching for a glass and filling it with water.

"Here," Tony said, kneeling down next to Steve. "Drink this."

Steve took a sip but soon realized that it was a mistake. He immediately moved back over and began throwing up yet again. By the end of it, he was so weak that all he could barely stay kneeling. Just as he felt like he was about to fall over, two strong hands reached under his arms and pulled him back towards the wall.

"Just sit down for a while," Tony instructed. "When you feel better I'll help you back to bed."

Steve closed his eyes. "This sucks, Tony," he whispered.

"I know it does." Tony sat down next to him. "I'll keep you company at least."

"Thanks..."

The two remained there until Steve felt comfortable getting up. When he did, Tony wrapped an arm around his waist and helped him back to bed, just like he said he would.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I sort of crossed over with Fantastic Four a bit just because I felt like Reed would be a good leader and it also opens up some doors with the story since Johnny Storm and Captain America look very alike, since they were played by the same actor and all. Anyway, you'll see what I mean later on.**

Ch. 12

It had now been a month since Steve and Bruce had moved back into Stark Tower.

Tony was still trying to patch things up between himself and Steve, and was having some success. The two had not yet officially started a relationship, but Tony was there for Steve as much as possible, and Steve was doing his best to trust Tony.

As time wore on, Steve began experiencing different symptoms of pregnancy. One was that he seemed to randomly be having hot flashes. They would last for several minutes. Steve found them to be very embarrassing, just because of how much they would make him sweat. It was noticeable, and nothing seemed to help.

Another was that he was constantly tired. Even sleeping for nine or ten hours did nothing. The result was that Steve had basically given up on trying to keep in shape. There was no way that he could run the twenty miles a day that he was used to. Hell, he'd probably collapse after just one.

It felt strange to Steve to not be active. At first it had bothered him a lot and it had made him feel guilty. His purpose in life was to be a good soldier, to be able to stop bad things from happening to others. But after several days of doing nothing, and hearing all of the Avengers tell him time and again that it would be better for him to rest, he had started to get used to it.

Steve's worst problem was that he was still getting sick all the time. Tony estimated that Steve spent at least four hours a day either throwing up or feeling like he was about to. Bruce had suggested some remedies to help, like drinking peppermint tea and eating crackers, and they worked on occasion, but most of the time Steve could keep nothing down. He had lost a good deal of weight because of it, and it had Tony worried. He seemed to be going out of his way to force food down Steve's throat during the rare times when he felt well enough to eat it.

Then, there had been the changes to the team. Fury had brought a new leader in, and Steve wasn't sure what to make of him. His name was Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic. Fury had felt that Reed's combination of intellect and leadership experience would work well for the team. The guy was smart. Very smart. So smart that he often clashed with Tony if they got on the subject of technology.

Reed had his own team of heroes, too. Together they were known as the Fantastic Four. They showed up on occasion at Stark Tower, mainly to see Reed, but they never stayed long. They had been told of Steve's condition and were sworn to secrecy about it, and so far they had kept their word. The public still had no idea what was going on. They'd find out eventually, though, and the thought of it worried Steve tremendously.

00

On this particular day, Steve had an appointment with Bruce. The doctor wanted to check him over to make sure that he was healthy, and that the baby was developing properly. Tony had insisted that he come along.

Bruce started the exam with the basics: blood pressure, temperature, heart rate and weight.

"Well, your blood pressure is a bit high, but it's not at a dangerous level," Bruce said, as he took the cuff off of Steve's arm.

"Can it get worse?" Tony asked. He was worried about Steve and to wanted make sure that all precautions were taken to ensure his safety.

"If it gets worse we will have to see about giving him medication. For now, he should be okay." Bruce looked back at Steve, "Now, let's get your temperature." Bruce stuck a thermometer in Steve's ear, and it beeped a second later.

"98.6 That's good. And now for your heart rate," Bruce took hold of Steve's wrist and measured his pulse. "That's good too. Over to the scale, then."

Steve got off the exam table and walked over, Tony following closely behind. Steve stepped on the scale, watching as the numbers moved around before settling on 190.

"Hmm," Bruce said, looking over his chart.

"What? Is he too thin? We'll have to find a way to make you eat more, Cap, it's not healthy for-"

"Oh my God, will you stop?" Steve asked. He sounded annoyed but he was smiling.

"He's fine, Tony," Bruce said. "He lost five pounds but I'm sure he'll gain it back once the morning sickness stops, which should hopefully be when he hits the second trimester."

Steve stuck his tongue out at Tony. "See? Don't worry so much."

Tony rolled his eyes. "I'll try."

The next part of the exam was an ultrasound. It would be the first time that Tony would see the baby and it was clear that he was on edge about it.

"You know the drill," Bruce said, as Steve laid down on the exam table.

Steve nodded and lifted his shirt up, then allowed Bruce to apply the gel.

Bruce was able to find the baby within a matter of seconds.

"That's it?" Tony asked, looking at the screen.

"That's it."

"And you're sure it's human? It looks kinda like a peanut. Maybe an alien-peanut hybrid?"

Both Steve and Bruce rolled their eyes. "It's definitely a human, Tony," Bruce answered.

"Wow."

Bruce held up a pencil and pointed to the image. "That's the head. And that's the body."

"Wow. Is it a boy or girl?"

"Not sure yet. I'll be able to tell in a couple of months."

Tony nodded, and continued to stare at the screen. He was feeling several different emotions. Amazed, that he was seeing his unborn child, but also nervous. What if he was a terrible father? What if something happened and Steve and Tony couldn't get along anymore? It was a lot to take in. Seeing the baby made everything feel real. It was proof that there was no backing out, now. Tony's life was going to change drastically and permanently.

"You okay?" Steve asked, looking at Tony.

"Yeah. I'm fine. It's just a lot to take in."

"Well, the baby seems fine," Bruce said, "We can do a checkup every month unless there's any problems."

"That sounds good," Steve agreed.

Tony nodded in agreement, though he wasn't really paying attention to what Bruce was saying. He was still thinking everything over, hoping that it would all work out.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch. 13

Steve was worried. Early in the morning, Fury had called on the Avengers down to Central Park, where an incident had occurred. Tony had come into his room and woken him up to tell him that he was leaving. The two said goodbye, and Tony assured Steve that he would be back soon. The incident that Fury had described didn't seem like THAT big of a deal.

But now, twelve hours had passed. From what Steve had gathered by watching the news, Thanos was leading an attack on New York. Hundreds of people had been killed thus far. There were shots of the team shown on television occasionally, but Steve had not seen any image of Tony in close to three hours.

Outside of Stark Tower, Steve could hear the sounds of the ongoing battle. Before Tony left, he had instructed JARVIS to tell Steve to go to the basement if the fighting got too close. That's where he was, now. Sitting in the room beneath Tony's lab, watching a television, feeling terrified.

"I wish I was with them," Steve said aloud.

"Master Stark instructed you to stay behind."

"I know," Steve replied, sighing loudly, "I just hate being here, watching this when I could be helping! What if he's hurt? Or worse?!" The soldier was starting to panic even more.

"The odds of Master Stark's armor being compromised are minute," the AI stated.

"I know. Still..." Steve turned his attention back to the tv. The rest of the Fantastic Four had showed up to help fight Thanos and his army. He could see Mr. Fantastic stretched out and wrapped around some of the alien soldiers, while Johnny Storm was attacking with fire. Johnny made him feel weird. They looked so much alike, but had such different personalities. He did seem to be doing a good job of taking out the enemy, though.

Steve frowned and rested a hand on his stomach. The baby was barely three months along. Steve prayed that Tony would make it out so that he could meet his child when the time came.

00

A full twenty three hours after he had left, Tony returned to the tower. He, and the rest of the team, were exhausted. It had been non-stop fighting. Thankfully, no one had been severely injured.

As soon as Steve heard that the group had entered, he went up to meet Tony. At the same time, Tony was going down to the basement to go see Steve. Steve pushed the button on the elevator and the door opened to reveal Tony, still dressed in his suit, looking absolutely terrible.

"Tony!" Steve yelled, pulling him into a hug. "Thank God. I was worried that something happened!"

Tony cracked a smile. "Sorry about that. Thanos and his goons put up a helluva fight."

"I saw."

"Do you mind coming up to the lab so I can get this suit off? I'm beat."

"Of course."

The two men went up to the lab, and Steve watched Tony remove the suit. He was wearing a pair of black jeans and a gray fitted AC-DC shirt underneath it. Even though Tony was tired and sweaty, Steve had to admit that he looked great in that outfit.

"See something you like?" Tony asked, noticing that Steve was eyeing him up.

Steve blushed. "You look good in that outfit."

"So you have a thing for sweaty men, then?"

Steve shook his head, "You know what I mean." He walked over to Tony, and again pulled him into a hug. "I'm just so glad that you're okay."

Tony held Steve against him for a few more seconds. "I'm glad too. The whole time we were fighting I was thinking of you and the kid. It gave me a reason to fight even harder. I wanted the world to be safe for you both."

Steve responded to this by leaning in and giving Tony a kiss.

Tony was shocked by it.

"Wow..." he said, as Steve pulled away. Steve was looking at him lovingly. It was flattering how much Steve seemed to care about him. So, Tony decided to do what he felt was right.

"Steve?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"That whole relationship thing. Are you up to giving it a shot again?"

"I am if you are."

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."

The two kissed again, then made their way Tony's room to spend the night together.


	14. Chapter 14

Ch. 14

For the first few weeks of the relationship, everything went great. Steve and Tony had started spending the night together. It didn't take long for them to become sexually active, either. Considering that he had already lost his virginity and was currently pregnant, Steve saw no harm in getting down and dirty with Tony.

Tony was more than happy to kiss and touch and worship Steve. He made sure that Steve knew how gorgeous he thought he was, even if his muscles were not as big as before and even if he was starting to show a little. Something about seeing Steve's belly, knowing that Steve was carrying his child, turned Tony on even more. The two were constantly touching each other, it seemed.

Then Steve hit the four month point, and things changed.

At first it was small changes. Steve didn't seem as interested in sex as he had been before. He still cuddled with Tony and kissed him, but soon that changed as well. Steve would push Tony away if he got too close, or if Tony even suggested sex.

Tony guessed that this was tied to the mood swings that Steve was now experiencing. Steve could be happy one minute and crying the next. Sometimes he would get angry for no reason at all. Smart as Tony was, even he couldn't figure out what was triggering the sudden changes. He felt like he was walking on egg shells all the time, afraid that making one wrong move or saying one poorly worded statement might set his boyfriend off.

But Tony was okay with that. At least he forced himself to be okay with it. He deserved it, really. He had hurt Steve tremendously, and had been the one to put him in his current situation. If Steve was having some hormonal issues, then Tony would just have to figure out a way to cope.

On the plus side, the constant nausea that had plagued the soldier was now gone. Because of it, Steve's appetite had picked up. Tony thought that this was great, except that Steve kept having strange cravings for the most random foods at the most random times. Just last night he had sent Tony out at 3am to find Lemon Meringue pie. Then for breakfast he had eaten a horrible combination of chocolate ice cream, canned peaches, and anchovies. Tony had to admit that he had been pretty skeved by that one.

Then there were the dizzy spells that Steve had. Those scared Tony. Steve would be doing something as mundane as walking to the kitchen when one would hit, making it nearly impossible for him to continue standing. Tony had been there to help him along each time it had happened so far, but he often worried about what might happen if for some reason he wasn't there.

00

After a couple of weeks of dealing with Steve's new issues, Tony decided to go to Bruce. Maybe he would have some answers. Maybe there was some type of medicine or supplement that Steve could take that would make him more bearable to be around.

Tony caught up with Bruce late at night, after Steve had gone to sleep. He didn't want the blonde finding out about it. Steve would probably go nuts if he did.

Bruce was calibrating some of his equipment when Tony walked in.

"Hey, Tony. What can I do for you at… 2:04 am?"

Tony closed the door to the medical room. "I need to understand whatever is going on with Steve and I need to know how to fix it."

Bruce cracked a smile. "Ah, you mean the mood swings and such?"

"And the total lack of sexual desire and the anger at being touched."

"Hm." Bruce walked over to a shelf where he had several folders. He pulled out the one with Steve's name written on the side. "According to his last exam, everything was normal."

"Well it's not normal now. If I so much as breathe the wrong way he's down my throat! Every little thing seems to set him off. Just an hour ago I turned on the television and he went off on me for wanting to watch Cartoon Network. Said that I was being childish and that I was disrupting his relaxation time, or whatever the hell that is. Steve relaxes all damn day!"

"Calm down," Bruce replied. He could see that Tony was getting very upset.

"Sorry. It's just that I've been trying to cope with it for weeks now, and it just keeps getting worse and worse. I care about Steve, a lot, and I want to be in a relationship with him, but I'm two seconds away from suiting up and taking him up to the roof and leaving him out there."

"You don't mean that."

"Okay, I don't, but it's really getting hard. Isn't there something he can take to help him? Or help ME?"

"Tony, everything that Steve is going through is normal."

"I've known pregnant women before and NONE of them were ever as bitchy as Steve is. Seriously, go take the lemon meringue pie out of the fridge and hide it. He'll gut you!"

Bruce laughed. "Come on. You're exaggerating."

Tony shook his head 'no', and Bruce sighed.

"Because Steve has male features and is used to feeling mainly male hormones, the influx of estrogen is probably causing him to react worse than a woman would in a similar situation."

"Well what do we do about it?"

"There's nothing to be done. These symptoms will probably pass in time just as the others did."

"God, I hope you're right."

"Just try to go with it. I doubt that Steve enjoys feeling the way he does, and having some many changes going on with his body and life. He needs you there to be supportive. And besides, you're the reason he's pregnant, so-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. That's the only thing keeping me from strangling him. I owe it to him to be nice. I know. I've been telling myself that for weeks."

"Good."

"Well, I'll be going now. Need a drink and all."

"What was that?" Bruce asked, as Tony walked towards the door.

"What? I didn't say anything."

"Drinking will only make things worse!" Bruce called out, but Tony was already halfway down the hall.

"Sorry, didn't hear you Bruce!" Tony yelled back, "Gotta go! See you later!"

And with that, Tony was gone.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: It's fun to mess with Steve. I figured he would have some body issues considering how he used to look and all.**

Ch. 15

Pepper always stocked Tony's bar with the best types of alcohol, something that Tony was extremely grateful for, especially now. Tony finished the last of his glass of 17 year old scotch then poured himself another. Half the bottle was already gone and it wasn't even dawn yet.

"Fuckin'… hormones," Tony mumbled to himself, taking another sip. "Gotta go through another four and a half months of this shit."

Five glasses was Tony's limit, and it wasn't long after finishing the last one that he fell asleep at the bar.

00

Tony had been having a good dream. Steve wasn't pregnant and was acting normally and he and Tony were doing foreplay in the local Tenplex while Star Wars was showing. Tony had never been particularly into Star Wars, but the idea of getting a hand job from the goody-two-shoes Captain in the back of a theater full of people was _awesome_.

He was getting close to finishing when something interrupted him. Someone was shaking him. Calling his name. Fuck. Now he was awake.

"This is where you spent the night?" an angry voice asked.

Tony cracked his eyes open, only to see Steve standing in front of him, hands on his hips.

"Er…Sorry about that," Tony mumbled, resting his head on his hand. "Ugh. Fucking scotch."

Steve wasn't about to let Tony go, no matter how bad of a hangover he had.

"I can't believe you were here drinking all night! What the hell is wrong with you? What if something happened?"

"You could've asked JARVIS to find me," Tony replied, grimacing at how bright it was in the room. The sun was shining through the windows, hitting him almost directly in the eyes.

When Steve said nothing, Tony forced himself to sit up straight. If Steve was quiet it usually meant that he was super pissed off.

"So that's your answer? I could've asked JARVIS to locate you?" Steve finally said.

Tony sighed. "What else do you want from me? Jesus Christ, it was _one night_, Steve."

Steve shook his head, "I expected better of you, considering that you're about to be a father."

"Okay, okay, I'm SORRY. Are you happy now? I apologized. I am SO SORRY for having a drink. Heaven knows I ought to be able to deal with your incessant bitching and yelling without it."

Steve's jaw dropped.

"Excuse me?" he took a step closer to Tony.

"You've been extremely difficult to deal with for the past few weeks and I needed some time to relax. I'm not sure what else to tell you, Steve. I'm really not. I'm sorry if it bothered you. I'll try not to do it again."

Steve looked like he wanted to argue, but he took a deep breath and took a step back.

"Whatever, Tony."

The soldier began to walk away. Part of Tony wanted to remain where he was and try to go back to sleep, but he knew that he ought to go after Steve, so he pushed himself up and started to follow him.

The two finally ended up in the room that they had been sharing. Tony walked in after Steve and shut the door behind them.

"Come on, Steve. I'm really sorry," Tony said. He meant it. He really hadn't meant to hurt Steve, he had just been frustrated.

Steve turned around to look at him, and Tony immediately felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Steve was crying.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Tony repeated. He walked over to Steve and pulled him into a hug. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Fuck, I'm such an idiot…"

Steve rested his head on Tony's shoulder and sniffled. "No. I've been treating you poorly. It's my fault too." He pulled away from Tony and sat down on the bed. "It's so different, you know. Everything is. My body feels like it isn't mine anymore."

Tony nodded. "That's… understandable."

"I don't like it. Every time I look at myself, or take a shower and have to wash myself, I can feel how different things are, and it makes me feel sick. I'd rather look like I used to before the serum than stay like this."

Tony frowned, and put his arm around Steve. "Come on, you don't mean that. I think you look sexy."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to lie to me."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Cap, do you really think I'd be constantly trying to get into your pants if I thought you were disgusting? Be realistic. I l…" Tony started, but the words didn't want to come out.

"You what?"

Tony cleared his throat. This was harder than he had anticipated. "I lov…I love you, Steve. I love looking at you and touching you, when you let me."

Steve's eyes got wide. "You're serious?"

"I am. I do love you. It's just hard to deal with sometimes, for me too. Like when you push me away or yell at me. I mean, god knows I'm terrible at speaking my feelings… It's easier for me just to get trashed and forget them."

"Well," Steve replied, "Well…I love you too. I've felt like that since the night we… you know. Did things. I couldn't stop thinking about you. That's why it hurt so much when you left. But you're right. I have to start trying to be better to you."

"And I'll stop getting trashed and sleeping at the bar."

"Sounds like a deal to me."

Tony smiled and leaned in to give Steve a kiss. The soldier was reluctant at first, but eventually began to kiss Tony back.

00

From that point on, Steve began to put more of an effort into keeping Tony happy. It was hard, as there were days when he was tired or grumpy or just generally felt like crap, but he was trying. Tony was trying, too, to let Steve know how much he loved him and how gorgeous he thought he was.

For instance, one night Tony had given Steve a long full body massage that ended with Tony kissing Steve everywhere.

Steve was finally starting to feel better about himself when that awful magazine article came out.

The backstory was that Pepper had convinced Steve to go out shopping for new clothes. The ones that he had were pretty much tailored to what his body looked like prior to becoming pregnant. Now, at five months along, they barely fit.

Steve had been reluctant about going, but he knew that Pepper was right. He did look ridiculous wearing shirts that were too tight and jeans that wouldn't button.

Tony had insisted that they take someone along with them. Steve had barely been out since he had found out that he was pregnant, and the public still didn't know about it. Tony hoped that they could go out undetected.

He thought that was what had happened, too. Steve and Pepper and Bruce returned home and reported that no one had harassed them. They had gone to three different stores and not one person had said anything.

The next morning, though, it became clear that someone had noticed them. Bruce had been the one who saw it first, and he had quickly alerted Tony. The newest edition of Now Magazine had hit the stands, and on the front page was a photo of Steve, Bruce, and Pepper, with a giant headline reading "CAPTAIN AMERICA GIVES UP".

"Are you kidding me?" Tony asked, opening the magazine. There was a three page article about Steve inside, talking about how he looked to have put on a lot of weight. There were also various theories listed as to why he had suddenly given up on taking care of himself, ranging from the idea that he didn't like Obama and therefore wanted to stop fighting for America to a note about the serum having had latent side effects.

"Wow. None of them guessed that he's pregnant, at least," Tony said.

"Still, he's not going to be happy about it when he sees it," Bruce replied.

Tony knew that Bruce was right. All of the work that he had put into making Steve feel comfortable in his skin had been for nothing. Stupid paparazzi. Tony made a mental note to track down the photographer so that he could have a 'talk' with him later.

"Any idea what we should do?" Bruce asked.

"There's nothing that we can do. I could try to buy all of the magazines up but I'm sure the photos are on the internet by now. I guess we'll just have to take it as it comes."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: This was wayyyyyy too fun to write.**

Ch. 16

As Tony had predicted, Steve did not take it well.

"This... this is what I really look like?! It's so much worse than I thought!"

Tony tried to pull the magazine away from Steve, but the soldier held on to it tightly.

"It's just a bad angle," Tony explained. "You don't normally look like that."

The expression on Steve's face turned from one of sadness to anger. "Stop lying to me, Tony!" he rested a hand on his stomach. It stuck out like he had swallowed a beach ball. "I'm not leaving the tower again until after the kid's born."

"Come on, Steve, aren't you taking things a bit far?"

Steve opened the magazine to the article about him. "Captain America's superhero days are clearly behind him. By the looks of it, we doubt that he could even do a pushup, nevermind fight evil."

"They're just hateful scumbags. They get paid to say nasty shit about people."

"Steve Roger's passion for saving lives looks to have turned into a passion for McDonalds."

"Okay, I get it. Don't let them get to you. If you do then they've won," Tony said, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend.

Steve shoved him off. "Don't touch me. I know you don't want to."

Tony let out an exasperated sigh. "Stop it."

"I can't blame you, either. I can't imagine that anyone would want to," Steve continued.

"This is seriously getting old. You know I love you, Steve."

"How can you say that?" Steve stood up and quickly took his shirt off. "You love me? Do you love my stomach? Or my arms? They're not as nice as they used to be. Or what about my stretch marks?" He turned so that Tony could see what he was talking about.

Tony kept a straight face. "I honestly never noticed those until you pointed them out. Your flaws don't matter, though. I love you. All of you. And in four months you'll be back to normal. I'm sure once the baby's born you'll bounce right back into shape."

Steve glared at him, and Tony realized that perhaps he had worded that incorrectly.

"Not, uh, bounce like a ball... ugh, you know what I mean."

"Just go, Tony," Steve said, slipping his shirt back on.

"But I don't want to-"

"Well _I_ want to be alone. Isn't there some party tonight you can go to?"

"It's Ben's birthday. We were going to celebrate."

"Great. Go do that."

Tony stood up, ready to leave. "Well, if you want to be miserable, then far be it from me to stop you. See you later, Steve."

00

Ben's party was held at The Box, a swanky bar/theater known for it's late night burlesque shows. Reed had reserved some seats for the guests, but the general public was there as well.

Tony had to admit that he enjoyed the atmosphere. He also felt amazing. Knowing how classy the place was, Tony had dressed up for the event. He'd showered, shaved and thrown on his best tux. It seemed like it had been months since he'd last dressed up for a good night out. The last time that he could recall doing it was the night that he had taken Steve to dinner and the MoMa.

Being as famous as he was, Tony got a good deal of attention from the ladies. Three twenty-somethings had been following him around for the past hour, flirting with him as best they could. It was flattering, yes, but Tony wasn't interested. Eventually he had ended up at the bar, hanging out with Johnny Storm.

"Having fun?" Johnny asked, before gulping down his shot of vodka.

"Oh yeah. Did you see that redhead performing those gymnastic stunts in the corset and fishnets?" Tony was referring to one of the male cross dressers that had taken the stage previously.

Johnny smirked. "He was a trip. Had a nice ass, too."

That statement caught Tony's interest. He wondered if Johnny was into men as well, and decided to make it his night's mission to find out. Just for curiosity's sake, really. Johnny was known as a playboy, it would be interesting if he messed around on both sides of the fence.

"I agree." Tony motioned to the bartender, "Can I get a scotch on the rocks?"

"Sure."

"And another shot of whatever he's having," Tony added, pointing at Johnny.

The bartender nodded and began pouring the drinks.

"So, how's it going with the Captain?" Johnny asked, drinking his shot down. He called out to the bartender and ordered another three, then another scotch for Tony. Might as well return the favor.

Tony shrugged, "Okay, I guess."

"Just _okay_? You're boinking Captain America! It's gotta be better than okay."

Tony downed his scotch then started on the next one. Whatever they had here was strong, stronger than the booze he had at home. He was already starting to feel slightly buzzed.

"Eh, well, you know about the whole thing," Tony replied, referring to Steve's pregnancy.

"Yeah, we all do."

"He's not taking it well. Some scumbag paparazzi took a photo of him at the store and now it's all over the magazines. He's home crying about how fat he thinks he is."

"Wow. Really?" Johnny raised an eyebrow, and did another shot. "That's gotta be rough. I didn't picture him as the crying type."

Tony snorted, "Oh, you have no idea." he chugged the rest of the scotch, and ordered another. "I guess his hormones are all messed up. Every little thing sets him off. It's terrible, really."

"Sucks that you have to deal with that," Johnny answered. He looked Tony over. He had never really noticed how attractive Tony was until now. "I mean, I know I'd have a problem with it."

"It's hard, you know?" Tony was starting to feel even more buzzed. It became harder to think clearly, but it felt good at the same time. "You know, you actually look a lot like him. You know, when he was younger. And before he had the stretch marks."

Johnny burst out laughing. "He really has those?!"

"Psh. Yeah. And you have no idea how much I miss his arms. Ever since he got pregnant he stopped exercising and everything went to shit." Tony wasn't sure why he was saying all of this. He didn't really believe it. He was just annoyed at Steve, and it felt good to complain.

"Wow. Sounds like you need another drink, then."

"Fuck yes I do!"

00

One more drink in and Tony was really slurring his words.

"'n he's always frickin bitching about EVERYTHING. It doesnt STOP," Tony half yelled, drinking the last of the scotch. "One in the morning, three in the morning, always bitching, calling, calling me. Tony, go get tacos. Tony, go get me pie. Tony, go do this, Tony, go do that. He doesn't get off his fat..." Tony trailed off, losing his train of thought.

Johnny eyed him carefully.

"...Doesn't get off his fat ass," Tony continued. "And he's got all these weird pregnancy symptoms, like he's always constipated. I don't know why he keeps telling me about it but god damn am I tired of hearing about it!"

Johnny wrinkled his nose. "Ew."

"Yeah. That's my daily fucking life."

"I feel bad for you. I really do."

Right then, the staff announced that it was last call. Tony checked his watch. "It's four am. I should get back."

"Did you drive here?"

"Mhmm."

"I don't think you should drive back. Neither of us should," Johnny said, "Maybe we can walk back together?"

"Good idea. You can sleep over if you want. You're pretty fun."

"Cool."

So Tony and Johnny set out towards Stark Tower. It was only about a mile away. The two stumbled along, yelling profanities at anyone who looked at them funny and laughing about the stupidest jokes imaginable.

They finally made it back, closer to five.

By that point, Johnny was starting to sober up. Tony was still pretty far gone though.

"I'll walk you up to your room?" Johnny offered.

"Sure. You're sweet, you know that?"

"Only to men as good looking as you."

Tony laughed. "Well thanks, then."

Johnny led Tony over to an elevator. "What floor?"

"Seven."

When they arrived on the correct floor, Tony stumbled out of the elevator, Johnny following close behind. "Shhhhh," Tony said, putting a finger over his lips. "We don't want to wake Cap up or he'll get mad."

Johnny smiled. "Okay, Tony," he whispered back.

"My room's down that way," Tony said, pointing down the hall.

"Okay then." Johnny helped Tony along, and they stopped outside his door.

"So... can I come in?" Johnny asked.

Tony sighed. He had to admit, he found Johnny extremely attractive. And Steve was probably asleep by that point. He wondered if he could sneak Johnny in without waking him up. Then, Tony shook that thought away. As much as he wanted to mess around with Johnny, a voice deep inside his head was telling him that it was wrong.

"I want you to," Tony replied, "You really do look like him."

"Before he got knocked up?" Johnny asked.

"Yes. You're gorgeous. I'd absolutely love to tap that ass."

"Well then let me in!"

Tony shook his head, "As much as I want to, I have to be good. For Steve. And for our baby. It's not... it's just not fair to them."

"But you complained all night! I don't get you, Stark."

"I'm drunk and aggravated," Tony replied, "I have no idea what I'm saying. I just know that I can't cheat on Steve. It'd crush him. Here," Tony said, taking a key out of his pocket. He walked over to the door next to his, "You can sleep here."

Tony opened the door, and led Johnny inside, trying to keep quiet. Steve needed his rest.

Little did he know that a few feet away, Steve was wide awake. He'd stayed up, waiting for Tony, and he had heard everything that Tony had said, including how he wanted to tap Johnny's ass. After that he had covered his ears with a pillow. He didn't want to hear the other things that Tony had to say, or worse, hear Tony and Johnny going at it.

The sound of the door down the hall slamming was loud enough for Steve to hear through the pillow, though, and it confirmed everything that he had been thinking all night, about not being good enough for Tony. Obviously, he had been right, and Tony had managed to find a replacement.


	17. Chapter 17

Ch. 17

Tony had intended only to show Johnny the room that he would be staying in and then to go to bed with Steve. His plans changed, however, a few seconds after he and Johnny walked through the door.

Johnny had been walking towards the couch when he suddenly stopped. He looked extremely pale, and Tony could tell something was wrong.

"You okay?" he asked, coming closer.

Johnny shook his head 'no'. "Where's the bathroom?"

"First door on the right!"

Johnny ran in as fast as he could, and soon Tony could hear him throwing up. The inventor frowned. He wanted to go lie down with Steve but it was only right of him to go make sure Johnny was okay. He didn't want the Human Torch dying in his tower.

Tony came into the bathroom to find Johnny on his knees, vomiting up all of the alcohol and food that he had consumed previously. He rested a hand on the younger man's back, half heartedly trying to comfort him.

"Oh, God," Johnny whimpered, wrapping an arm around his stomach. He rested his head on the toilet seat, wary of moving lest he get sick again.

When Johnny didn't throw up for another few minutes, Tony decided to take him to bed. Maybe some sleep would help him feel better. He pulled Johnny up, wrapped an arm around his waist and led him towards the bed. Once there, he sat Johnny down.

"Alright, let's get you undressed and lying down," Tony said. He helped Johnny take his shoes, shirt and pants off, leaving him sitting in his boxers.

Johnny swayed a little, even though he was sitting. Then he spoke up again.

"Oh... fuck..." he started to turn green, and Tony reached for the wastebasket near the nightstand. He handed it to Johnny just in time. As soon as it was in his hands, Johnny began to throw up again.

Despite being only in his underwear, Johnny was sweating. Tony sat with him while he continued to get sick, wanting to make sure he didn't pass out.

Eventually Johnny began to dry heave, then he stopped being sick entirely. He still felt horrible, though.

"Oh my God," he groaned. "Make it stop..."

Tony pulled the covers on the bed back. "Come on, lie down. You'll feel better." He helped Johnny lie down, then tucked him in.

By now, Johnny was sweating and shivering at the same time.

"Oh God Tony, I feel like I'm dying..."

"I think you have alcohol poisoning. You probably got most of it out, though."

"Ugh..." Johnny had the look on his face that he had before the other two times he had been sick, so Tony reached for the wastebasket again.

"Here you go."

"Make it stop," Johnny begged again. "Please..."

"I'm going to get you some water," Tony told him, "It might help some."

Thankfully, Tony kept a mini fridge stocked with basics like water bottles in that room, so he didn't have to go too far. He opened the water bottle and helped Johnny sit up to drink it. He had hoped that Johnny would be able to keep it down. Tony would feel comfortable leaving him alone if he could.

He watched as Johnny drank about a quarter of the bottle, then hiccuped.

"Can you keep that down?"

Johnny didn't answer. He began to pant, then grabbed for the basket again.

Tony sighed. It was going to be a really long morning.

00

It was another three hours before Johnny had finally fallen asleep. By then, Tony was completely exhausted. He'd been sitting with Johnny the whole time, making sure that he didn't die.

Now, at least he could go see Steve. The soldier would probably be awake by now, so getting a nap in was out. Still, it would be nice just to see Steve's face.

Tony opened the door to the room they shared, and was shocked to find it completely empty.

"Steve?" he called out. "...Steve, are you here?"

No answer.

Tony began searching for a note, or something to explain where Steve had gone. When he found nothing, he began to worry. Had something happened to Steve while he was out? He could never forgive himself if so.

"JARVIS, did anyone besides Steve enter this room last night?"

"No, sir."

So that canceled out the possibility of a kidnapper.

"Did Steve leave on his own?"

"Yes, sir."

"When?"

"Captain Rogers exited the room at five thirty this morning."

"And where'd he go?"

"He is in Dr. Banner's medical center, sir," the AI replied.

Alarms started going off in Tony's head. Had something happened to Steve or the baby? Tony raced downstairs as quickly as he could, and threw open the doors to the medical room.

"Bruce! Is Steve here? Is he okay?!"

It was then that Tony took notice of the people in front of him. Bruce, Tasha, and Clint were all standing near Steve, who was sitting on an exam table, head in his hands.

"Is he okay?" Tony asked again, coming closer. "Did... did something happen to the baby?"

Bruce put a hand up, signaling for Tony to stop.

"The baby's fine," Bruce answered. "But you've done enough for today. Leave Steve alone. Let him be with his friends."

"What? What are you talking about? Steve, I'm your friend! I'm your _boyfriend_, remember?"

"I'm sure that Johnny Storm wouldn't like to hear you saying that," Steve replied.

Tony could see that his face was red, and his eyes were puffy. Steve had obviously been crying for quite a while.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Really, Tony?" Tasha said, "That's the best you can do? Play stupid?"

Now Tony was getting angry. "I literally have no idea what the hell any of you are talking about!"

"I heard you both come in this morning," Steve said, crying again. "I heard you talking. You were telling him how attracted you were to him... how he looked like me, before..." Steve trailed off, too upset to continue.

Tasha moved to hug him, holding him close to her.

"Oh, Fuck." Tony understood what Steve was thinking, now. "Steve, baby, I didn't do anything with him."

"I heard you say that you wanted to sleep with him, Tony. Then the door slammed shut... and you've been up there, since then..."

"Tony, you need to leave," Bruce said, firmly. "Steve doesn't need this right now. Come on, let's go, before the big guy gets involved." Bruce began shoving Tony towards the door.

"Johnny was sick! He's been throwing up all morning! He has alcohol poisoning! Jesus Christ, guys! Steve, didn't you hear the rest of the conversation? I told him that I _wouldn't_ sleep with him! Because I had to be faithful to you, Steve!"

Steve didn't believe him, though.

"Tony, I understand," he said, sadly. "I really do. It's okay. Go be with him. Be happy."

"But I want to be with you!"

Steve shook his head. "Just go."

With that Bruce shoved Tony out, locking the door behind him.


	18. Chapter 18

Ch. 18

Johnny woke up late in the afternoon. He regretted opening his eyes a few seconds after doing so. He felt like he had been hit by a truck. Okay, maybe hit by a truck then dragged by it for several miles before being forced to ingest slow acting poison. His stomach, throat, and body all hurt.

He also began to wonder where he was. The room he was in didn't look like the one he lived in at the Baxter Building. This room was neater, more nicely furnished than his own.

There was a nightstand next to him with a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin on it. He assumed that whoever had left it had been the one who had brought him there.

He took a sip of water and tried to remember what had happened. The night was a blur. He remembered going to The Box, seeing a show, and then spending time with Tony Stark at the bar. Tony had been complaining about something...

Then he remembered walking back to Stark Tower, and asking Tony if he could come in. It blanked out from there. Considering that he wasn't sore below the waist, he assumed that they hadn't had sex.

Johnny popped a couple aspirin in his mouth and drank down the water. He should go back home. The others were probably looking for him.

00

As Johnny walked out of Stark Tower, he noticed that it seemed to be deserted. None of the Avengers were around, nor was Pepper.

He went outside and decided to walk back to the club and pick up his car. Maybe if he gave himself some extra time, it would help him figure things out.

00

Johnny finally arrived at the Baxter Building as the sun began to set. He was slightly closer to filling the gaps in his memory, having remembered being sick and Tony helping him. He stepped off the elevator to come face to face with Susan, who was looking pretty upset.

"There you are!", she said, "We've been wondering where you went!"

"Oh, sorry. I ended up at Stark Tower, spent the night there."

"So the rumors are true, then?" Reed spoke up. Johnny hadn't even noticed him there. He really was tired.

"Wait, what rumors?"

"The rumors about you and Stark? You know, Steve Rogers is really upset about it, you really crushed the poor guy."

Johnny shook his head, "What are you guys talking about? I didn't hook up with Tony, if that's what you're implying."

"Really?" Sue asked, "Because Bruce called us up earlier complaining about how you and Tony had slept together and how devastated the Captain is because of it. If that's not true, then you really ought to call them and tell them!"

"Do it soon," Reed suggested. "I heard he's really taking it hard, you know, being pregnant and all too."

"Oh, shit. Yeah I'll call them."

Susan handed Johnny her phone and he walked into the hallway. Bruce Banner's number was listed in her contacts list, so he dialed it. It rang four times before Bruce picked up.

"Hello?" he asked. "Wait, hold on."

Johnny listened as Bruce put the phone down and started talking to someone in the background. All he could make out was Bruce saying something like "It's just my phone" and "It's not Tony". It sounded like someone in the room with him was yelling or crying. He heard Bruce say "Just give me a minute!" before coming back on the line.

"Sorry about that. Cap's still pretty upset. Did Johnny come back yet?"

"This actually is Johnny. I'm calling from Susan's phone."

"Oh." There was an awkward silence before Bruce added, "What is it that you need?"

"I'm calling to tell you that _nothing_ happened between Tony and I. Nothing at all. We walked home and he showed me to the other room and I got really sick and he stayed with me until I fell asleep. That was it. I don't know what you guys think happened, but it definitely wasn't-"

Bruce sighed. "You don't need to pretend that it didn't happen. Steve will come around in time. You just may not want to come by the building anytime soon."

Johnny was really getting aggravated. "I'm not _pretending_ anything! Nothing happened! I swear on it! What do you need me to do to prove it? Take a lie detector test? I'm. Not. Lying!"

There was another silence as Bruce considered Johnny's statement.

"You're serious?" he asked, just to confirm.

"Very serious! Listen, I asked if I could come in but he said that he didn't want to cheat on Steve."

"Wow." Bruce suddenly felt horrible for the way that he had treated Tony earlier. "Do... Do ya think you could talk to Steve, maybe? He won't talk to Tony, but maybe he'll listen to you."

"Yeah, fine, whatever. Put him on."

A second later, Johnny could tell that Steve was holding the phone. He could hear him sniffling and sobbing. It made him angry for some reason. Wasn't Captain America supposed to be stronger than that? Maybe being pregnant really had messed him up.

"Captain Rogers," Johnny said, by way of greeting.

"What do you want?" Steve answered.

"I want you to pull yourself together, because I didn't sleep with Tony."

Johnny could practically hear Steve's breath hitch. "Is this a joke?"

"I'm not joking! I didn't screw with him, Cap. I wanted to, I'll admit that, but he told me that he didn't want to cheat on you. I spent this morning in the room next to yours throwing up everything in my system thanks to the vodka from last night. Tony stayed with me because he thought I had alcohol poisoning. That is literally _all_ that happened."

Steve was quiet for a minute before talking. "You're not just doing this to make me feel better?"

"Do I seem like the type of person to do that?"

"Not really, no."

"There's your answer. Look, I like Tony, I think he is very attractive, and I won't lie, I think he was attracted to me too, but he loves you and he wants to be with you and he turned me down because he didn't want to disrespect you."

"I sorta feel like an idiot now."

"Can't say I blame you. You ought to go find him."

"I will. And Johnny?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for calling. But if you ever so much as _look_ at Tony again I'll shove my foot so far up your ass that it'll tickle your throat."

"Wow, Captain America cursing. Never thought I'd hear that. Talk to you later, Cap."

"Bye."

Steve handed the phone back to Bruce, and immediately made his way out of the medical center where he'd been staying. Hopefully Tony was still around and would be willing to forgive him.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks to Illyric for inspiring this part and the one to follow.**

Ch. 19

It wasn't too hard for Steve to find Tony. The inventor was locked away in his lab, concentrating hard on some new prototype. Doing things like this helped to calm him down, and they focused his energy into something positive.

So when Steve barged into the room, out of breath and yelling Tony's name, the billionaire nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Jesus Christ, Steve!" Tony hissed, throwing down the welding torch that he had been using. "What the fuck's your problem?!"

"I talked to Johnny," Steve answered, still breathing heavily. He'd run all the way down from the sixth floor to the basement. "He told me what happened. I'm so sorry, Tony. So sorry. Please forgive me."

Steve's eyes were pleading, and he took a step forward, trying to get closer to Tony.

Tony sighed and put his hands on Steve's shoulders. "First, calm down. You look like you're about to have a heart attack. Here," he reached over and pulled a stool towards them. "Sit."

Steve nodded and took a seat, trying to catch his breath. "Sorry. Not quite used to running like that anymore."

"Yeah. Just keep breathing. In and out... there ya go."

It took a few minutes for Steve to catch his breath. When he did, he spoke again. "I'm sorry, Tony. I should've never doubted you. Johnny told me everything, and I understand if you're angry - you have every right to be - I just hope we can get past it."

To Steve's surprise, a smile crossed Tony's face.

"I'm not angry."

"You're... not? I accused you of cheating on me with Johnny Storm and made all of the other Avengers hate you and-"

"And I knew that eventually you'd figure out that it didn't happen and you'd regret it. What's done is done. I just hope you've learned something from it."

"I'll never doubt you again, I swear," Steve looked at Tony seriously.

"Good." Tony leaned in and kissed Steve on the forehead.

He stepped back when Steve made a strange sound. It was sort of like a groan and a soft cry at the same time.

"Are you okay?" Steve's mouth was hanging open, and he had wrapped his arms around his stomach.

"Hurts..." he choked out.

Alarms started going off in Tony's head. Something was obviously wrong with Steve. He had to keep calm, though. Keep calm and think clearly. Okay. He had to get Steve up to see Bruce, but they were in the basement. There was no way that Steve would be able to make it up the stairs. Tony doubted that he could even walk to the elevator.

With no other options, Tony began to suit up. He'd carry Steve up there.

"Stay calm, Steve. I'm gonna get you upstairs. It's gonna be okay," Tony said, as he stepped onto the platform.

The process was complete within a minute. Tony walked over to Steve, and with great ease, lifted him up. The blonde was still groaning in pain. Tony carried him upstairs, fast as he could.

00

Once they arrived, Tony removed his face plate to talk to Bruce.

"Bruce, Steve needs help. He's in pain."

"Well put him down on the bed, then!" Bruce replied.

Tony nodded and carried Steve over to a bed, then gently laid him down. Steve looked completely panicked. He was breathing fast - too fast - and his hands were shaking.

Bruce came over to help.

"Okay, Steve, you need to calm down and tell me what's hurting you so I can help you."

Steve didn't seem to be listening. He seemed to be caught up in his panic attack.

"Listen to Bruce, baby," Tony said, taking Steve's hand. He couldn't feel his skin through the metal, but he hoped that the act of touching him would help.

It did. Steve snapped out of his trance and looked at Tony.

"I'm scared."

"It's gonna be okay. Don't be scared. You've got me and Bruce here to help. Now tell Bruce what's hurting you."

"My stomach hurts," Steve mumbled.

"Okay. Can you show me where?" Bruce asked.

"Here." Steve pointed to a spot on his upper stomach, near his ribs.

"Scale of 1 to 10?"

"Ten."

"Okay. Does anything else hurt? Or did anything else bother you today?"

"My head hurt earlier, but I always get headaches lately..."

"Hmm."

"What is it?" Tony asked.

"Go take the suit off then come back up. I think I know what's going on. It's gonna be okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I just need to run a few tests. There's no reason for you to stand around in the suit for the next hour. You'll be able to move better and hold Steve closer if you take it off."

"Good point." Tony looked at Steve, who still looked scared. "I'll be back in five minutes, max. I promise. Just listen to Bruce, do whatever he says, okay?"

"Okay."

'Good."

Tony went downstairs, hoping that whatever was wrong with Steve wasn't anything too bad.


	20. Chapter 20

Ch. 20

Steve seemed much calmer by the time Tony got back from taking off the suit. Bruce had hooked him up to an oxygen cannula and an IV. What was odd was that Steve seemed to be almost smiling.

"Uh, why does he look like that?" Tony asked. Steve just looked up at him and winked.

"I gave him some Valium. He wouldn't calm down on his own."

"Oh. Is that safe?"

"In moderate doses it is. Obviously, with his metabolism, a 'moderate dose' is a bit different... ah, well, nevermind. He and the baby will be fine. I swear."

"Okay. I'm holding you to that. Did you figure out what the problem is?" Tony looked at Steve. "Steve, baby, are you still in pain?"

"I don't care," Steve replied. "It's all good."

"Wow. That shit must be strong." Tony turned his attention back to Bruce. "So?"

"I took his blood pressure and looked over his records and checked him out, and I think he's suffering from pre-eclampsia."

"Who in the what now?"

"Pre-eclampsia. High blood pressure during pregnancy. Steve's got a severe case of it."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"If the proper precautions are taken, he should be."

"And those are?" Tony reached out, and took Steve's hand. Steve smiled at him gratefully.

"He's going to have to be on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy and he's going to have to take blood pressure meds."

"You hear that, Steve? You got your wish!"

"What?" Steve asked, confused.

"You won't have to leave the tower again til after the baby's born."

"Oh." Steve didn't seem particularly concerned. He soon resumed staring into space and randomly smiling.

"Isn't he young for blood pressure meds?" Tony asked.

"He's got it really severe. Look," Bruce took hold of Steve's hand, forcing Tony to let go. "You see how swollen his hands are?"

"Yeah."

"It's from fluid retention, which is associated with pre-eclampsia."

"Jeez. Alright, well, I can take care of him so that won't be a problem. This is why he was in pain before? Is that going to be constant?"

"No. As long as he takes it easy it shouldn't happen often if at all. I think the main problem will be keeping him occupied while he's stuck inside. He's got two and a half months left. That's a pretty long time to be cooped up in bed."

"It is," Tony agreed. He glanced at Steve, who was still staring into space with that dopey smile on his face. "We'll figure out a way to make it work, though."

00

Once the drugs wore off Steve was not quite so happy as he had been before. Tony and Bruce had helped him into a wheelchair and helped him up to the floor where he and Tony lived. Tony had stayed next to Steve for a while, just talking to him and taking advantage of how easy it was to make Steve laugh in the state that he was in.

Now, though, he was starting to get upset.

"What do you mean I HAVE to stay here?!" Steve nearly yelled.

"Bruce's orders. Says you have to rest until the baby's born."

"How am I supposed to do that? Do you know how boring it'll be just sitting here?"

"You also have to take these twice a day," Tony said, shaking the medicine bottle that Bruce had given him.

"What is it?"

"Medication for your blood pressure."

Steve glared at him.

"What? You're like... ninety! Most people have to take this wayyy before that age!" Tony said, smirking.

"I'm not... Ergh. I don't want to take blood pressure meds."

"You're so cute when you're annoyed. Anyway, you don't have a choice. All those headaches you've been getting? The swollen hands and feet, which you didn't tell me about, by the way-"

"I didn't want to bother you with any more complaining."

"Right, well if you have an actual physical problem then I'd like to know about it."

"Okay." Steve pushed himself up so that he was sitting.

"So all those problems you were having were because of the pre-eclampsia."

"I see. Great."

"It'll be okay. Hey, we can choose all the stuff that we'll need for the baby. If we find out the sex, I mean. That'd make it easier."

"Oh. You want to know?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why, do you know already?"

"I thought you wanted it to be a surprise. Bruce told me the sex earlier."

"Well what is it?" Tony was getting excited, and it made Steve smile, despite the frustration he was feeling.

"What do you want it to be?"

"Come onnnn! Tell me. No games," Tony said, pouting.

"Fine. It's a girl."

"A girl? Really?!"

"Yes, Tony." Steve was still smiling.

"Wow. WOW. A girl. At least no one will mess with her, having Avengers for parents."

"That's true. Unless it's someone like Loki."

"I will gut Loki if he so much as glances at my daughter," Tony said, seriously.

"I'd help you. Anyhow, I guess we ought to start picking things out. That'll occupy me for a few days at least."

Tony grinned. "I'll go get the laptop. I was kinda hoping it might be a girl, so I kinda did some research and I found these really cool mobiles that look like flowers but they cast the outlines of numbers on the wall with light so she can learn to add before she's even like, two, and Tasha found these adorable little Iron Man onesies. They have a Captain America one too!"

"Oh God. Now you're the one who needs to calm down. Take a deep breath, Tony, and go get the laptop."

"Yes sir!" Tony replied, right before he ran off to the other room.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I wanted Steve to get some action.**

Ch. 21

Over the next few days, Tony and Steve fell into a routine. They would wake up, and Tony would help Steve out of bed. He would help him to the shower and help him get dressed, usually in a pair of sweats and a tee-shirt. With nowhere to go, there was no reason for Steve to wear anything else. Then Tony would go make him breakfast, something that he frequently asked Pepper to help with. Tony was good at a lot of things, but cooking wasn't one of them.

Tony would bring the food upstairs and for the rest of the morning they would discuss their ideas for the baby's name, her nursery, and their thoughts about the future in general.

Some things they agreed on, others they didn't. At least it kept Steve from being totally bored out of his mind.

In the afternoons, the two would watch television or talk to the other Avengers, who visited often.

Tony was really trying hard to keep Steve entertained. He had put his own personal projects aside to spend time with him, and he took care of Steve's every need, never complaining.

But, despite all of Tony's efforts, Steve seemed to be getting more and more upset at the situation at hand. When he had said that he didn't want to go out until the kid was born he had meant it, but now that he was actually trapped he regretted ever considering it. Having to have Tony help with everything didn't help much either. Steve may have been pregnant but he wasn't crippled. He didn't need someone to stand outside while he was in the shower, no matter how much Bruce insisted that it was a necessary precaution.

Over time, Steve got quieter and quieter. Though he wasn't happy, he felt that he had caused enough problems as it was. Complaining would just make things worse. It was better to keep his thoughts to himself. He had been extremely lucky that Tony had forgiven him after the whole Johnny Storm incident, and he didn't want to rock the boat now.

Tony picked up on his lover's feelings pretty quickly, and was doing his best to help.

"Hey, I dug up some movies you might like to watch today," Tony said, smiling at Steve.

"Oh yeah?" Steve forced a smile.

"Yup. Did some searching online last night after you went to sleep. I've got Fantasia, Citizen Kane, there's one called The Maltese Falcon, The Wizard of Oz, and I've got Casablanca."

"Those all came out back in the '40s."

"Indeed they did." Tony smiled at him again. "Most of them are digitally remastered, too!"

Steve really didn't feel like watching movies again, but he did appreciate Tony's attempt at making him happy.

"Well, I always liked Fantasia. It had wonderful animation."

"Great! Fantasia it is." Tony got to work setting everything up.

As the movie started, Tony could tell that Steve was still not happy. He was pretending to be, but he wasn't. Knowing there wasn't much else that he could do, he decided to try some conversation.

"So, what's your favorite scene?"

The question caused Steve to think for a moment. "Night on Bald Mountain. The last one."

"Ohh, the one with that demon above the village?"

"Yeah. I always liked the music and the darkness of it, then the lightness that followed. It's beautiful in a strange way."

"It is. Did you ever draw anything like that? Something... mythical, or spiritual?"

"Sometimes. I kinda made up a monster that I used to draw a lot. Just sort of a funny cartoon. He was best friends with a princess and they lived in a castle in England."

"The monster wasn't evil, then?"

"He was misunderstood. Because he looked strange people feared him but the princess looked past it. It was dumb."

"It sounds interesting, actually."

"It's weird. I'm weird. I get it."

Tony rolled his eyes, and cuddled up closer to Steve. "You're creative, not weird. It's one of the things I love about you."

Steve snorted. "Right."

"I'm serious." Tony bit Steve's earlobe, making the blonde moan. "You like that?"

"Mmmm," Steve sighed.

Tony grinned, and moved so that he was straddling Steve. He began kissing his neck, then slowly began working his way down. When he got to Steve's collarbone, he began pulling Steve's shirt up, trying to get it off. Steve, who had been enjoying it up until then, smacked Tony's hand.

Tony pulled back, stunned.

"What the hell?"

"I don't want you. That. Just... don't," Steve said, clearly flustered.

"Why? Oh, God, are we back to _that_ again?"

Steve grimaced, but nodded slightly.

"Ugh. What will it take for you to see that I love you? I love everything about you. Your mind and your creativity and your body." Tony seemed very sincere, and it made Steve feel even worse.

"I know you do. I mean, you say it. So it's probably true. It's just..."

"Let me show you how much I love you. Please?" Tony was looking Steve right in the eyes.

Steve took a deep breath. "Okay..."

Tony smiled again, and leaned in. He licked Steve's neck again, and slowly removed Steve's shirt. Steve closed his eyes, trying to imagine that he was somewhere else.

"So gorgeous," Tony whispered, as he began kissing Steve's upper chest. He rested a hand on the side of Steve's stomach and started to kiss him lower and lower, all over his belly, until he was right below it.

"May I?" he asked, sliding his fingers in between the band of Steve's pants and his skin.

"Yes," Steve whispered.

With his eyes still shut, Steve was forced to experience everything solely by touch. He was hard within only a few seconds.

Steve gasped as he felt Tony's mouth wrap around his cock. "Oh, God...Tony, you don't... you don't have to..."

Tony didn't reply. He continued with his task, eventually bringing Steve to orgasm. He sat up to see Steve lying there, panting, hands still digging into the bed sheets.

"Now, don't tell Bruce about that," Tony told him. "He'd get upset that I brought your heart rate up."

"Yeah. No, I won't. Wow. Tony... you didn't have to do that."

"I know I didn't." Tony stretched out and laid down next to Steve, "I wanted to. Feel any happier now?"

"For sure," Steve replied, "That was awesome. Thank you!"

"Of course, my love."

Steve smiled to himself. After he had calmed down, he and Tony lay silent, staring at the television. The movie was still on.

After a while, Steve began to get tired. He caught Tony's attention when he yawned.

"Sleepy?" Tony asked.

"A bit," Steve admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed. A blow job shouldn't have been enough to make him tired, but he couldn't help it.

"Ah. Well, go to sleep. But before you do, I need to know one thing."

"Yeah?"

"What did you learn today?"

"That you love me."

"Right answer!" Tony kissed Steve on the forehead, then pulled the blanket up over him. "Sleep well, baby."


	22. Chapter 22

Ch. 22

A month and a half had passed since Steve was put on bed rest. He was now seven and a half months pregnant, and he really couldn't wait for the baby to come. In the past six weeks he felt like he had gotten much bigger and even lying still for even a few hours was a hard task. He never felt comfortable. Nevermind actually having to get up to go to the bathroom or whatnot. Thankfully, Tony had continued to help a lot. He brought Steve all of his meals and helped him out of bed and was always super nice about it.

Plus, the baby was kicking all the time now. For the first six months she had been strangely calm, but one day she had started kicking and she rarely seemed to stop. Tony had cried when he first felt it. Steve almost had, too. Now it was more of an annoyance.

Today was no exception. Steve had been up most of the night, unable to find a comfortable position. He hadn't been able to sleep lying flat on his back in weeks, but last night he couldn't find a decent spot sitting up either. When he finally did, the kicking woke him up.

Needless to say, he wasn't in the best of moods. So when Tony had suggested that they go downstairs to see the others, Steve hadn't been too willing to get out of bed.

"Do we have to?"

"Well... we haven't left the room in a few days, it might cheer you up to get out for a bit."

Steve sighed. "I barely got any sleep last night. She was kicking again."

Tony frowned sympathetically. "Clint has a new bow that he wanted to show us. He designed it himself."

"Fine." Steve threw his legs over the side of the bed, ready to get up, when Tony held his hand out to help. He took it, albiet grudgingly.

"I need to find something to wear," Steve noted, as he padded over to the dresser. "I don't think anything fits though." His expression fell a little as he said that.

"Nah, I'm sure something fits. Here," Tony pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans, "These were really baggy when you bought them."

Steve nodded and took the jeans, then pulled out a pair of boxers. He slid his sweat pants off and put the boxers and jeans on. The pants fit perfectly.

"Good call," Steve said, "But I still need a shirt."

"Hmm." Tony looked through some of the shirts in the dresser, before moving to the closet. The poked around for a minute before pulling out a black button down shirt. "Try this."

Steve took the shirt and put it on. "Wow. You're good at this! I was sure nothing would work."

Tony grinned. "No problem. Now let's go downstairs." He helped Steve into the wheelchair that Bruce had insisted that he use, and the two headed off.

00

"What kind of bow is it?" Steve asked, as they took the elevator down to the fourth floor.

"I think he said it can fire five arrows at once."

"Wow! That's pretty awesome. He made it?"

"That's what he told me!" The elevator dinged, and the two stepped off.

They walked into the common room to see Clint, Natasha, Thor and Bruce all sitting there. And the walls were covered with streamers. Pink streamers. And there was a table with food, laid out buffet style. And there was a big poster that read, "Congrats Steve!"

"What the heck?" Steve asked, confused.

Natasha walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "It's a baby shower!"

"For me?"

"Is anyone else here pregnant? Of course it's for you," Tony replied.

"Wow. You guys really didn't have to do this!"

"Of course we did," Clint replied. "Come on, go sit in your special chair."

Steve glanced over and saw a white wicker chair covered in pink ribbons and bows. There was a banner on it that said "Welcome Baby", and another one that said "New Mom" with "Mom" crossed out and "Dad" written in. Steve smirked. "Nice."

"Dr. Banner and I decorated it earlier," Thor said, clearly pleased with his work.

"It's awesome!" Tony helped Steve up and into the chair. "So what do we do at a baby shower?"

"Games, food, decorate some onesies," Tasha said, pointing at another table, where markers and plain onesies were laid out, "Then cake then gifts."

"Cool. You've got it all planned out, don't you."

Tasha smiled. "Of course we do."

00

Three hours later, everyone was sitting around, finishing their cake while continuing to doodle on the onesies. Some of them were funny. Clint had created one that said "_Baby by Day, Superhero by Night_". Tony had created one that had a picture of a bottle that said "_I Drink til I Pass Out,_" with little smiley faces on the sleeves. Steve had rolled his eyes when he saw that one. Tasha had made a very colorful onesie, with different colored flowers all over it. It was surprisingly delicate, considering who had made it. Bruce's had been pretty basic. It had a smiling fish on the front, of all things. Thor's was colored red and yellow and had some strange Asgardian symbol on it. Steve's was a simple American flag.

"Look at that, the kid's got a full wardrobe already!", Clint said, looking everything over.

"She's got more than a full one. You should see all the outfits that Tony's bought for her!", Steve answered.

"Hey, no baby's closet is complete without an AB-CD tee shirt and Iron Man pajamas!" Tony said.

Everyone laughed. It had been a great time, but Steve was now starting to get tired. Tony could tell this.

"Getting tired?" he whispered.

"Yeah," Steve answered, honestly.

"We can head up soon. We just have to do gifts."

"Okay," Steve agreed.

Tony led Steve back to the chair and Natasha started handing out presents.

"This one's from Bruce," she said, handing over a package that was wrapped in green paper.

Steve opened it up to reveal a framed photo of Steve's first ultrasound.

"That's... awesome!", Steve said, trying to hide that he was tearing up a bit. Stupid hormones. "Thank you!"

Bruce smiled and nodded. "No problem at all."

"This one's from myself and Clint," Tasha said, handing him the next gift. It was a small envelope.

Steve opened it up. It was a card, with a few items within it. "Coupon for three free baby-sitting sessions," he read off. There was also receipt stating that Clint and Tasha had paid for an entire years worth of diapers.

"Thanks, guys, this is nice. Especially the babysitting part."

"We figured that you guys would want a night out now and then, so we would be glad to watch the baby," Natasha told him.

"That's really sweet. You're the best."

Finally, Natasha handed over a gift from Thor.

"It's delicate," she warned.

"Okay." Steve unwrapped the present carefully, revealing a beautiful, hand carved music box. He opened it up and it played a song that he hadn't heard before. It was beautiful, though. The melody was almost hypnotizing. "This is amazing," Steve said.

"It's for your daughter. It was carved by craftsmen on Asgard. The song is famous there, but not as well known here."

"I love it." Damn, those tears were coming back again. "Thank you all!"

Everyone smiled and mumbled a "your welcome." The party ended soon after that.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: So, here's the last chapter, maybe I will post an epilogue after. Thank you so much for all the great reviews! And fear not, there will be a sequel. :-D Also there is a lady named Velveeta that works at the local Target.**

Ch. 23

Tony was busy putting together the crib that he and Steve had picked out for the baby. It was now two weeks before Steve's due date, and Tony was running around like crazy trying to get everything ready. They had decided to keep the crib in their room, so that they could keep an eye on their daughter, so Tony was assembling it next to the bed.

Steve, meanwhile, was watching television. Today had been a pretty good day so far. The baby hadn't been kicking all that much and Steve had finally gotten a good night's sleep.

Suddenly that all changed. Steve felt a strange pain in his lower back. It was terrible, worse than any pain he had ever felt before, and he couldn't help but groan.

"You okay?" Tony asked, looking up at his boyfriend.

"Er... yeah, must've pulled a muscle in my back or something. The pain is stopping though."

"O..kay," Tony replied. "Well let me know if it gets worse. I can give you a massage."

"I will." Steve focused on the television once again.

Half an hour later, the pain came back. It was just as bad as it had been the last time.

"Fuck," Steve hissed, and Tony looked up again, surprised to hear the soldier use such language.

"Are you sure you're okay? I think we ought to go talk to Bruce."

"No, no I'm fine," Steve answered, though his teeth were gritted. A few seconds later, the pain stopped again, so Tony dropped the subject.

The third time it happened, Tony became more concerned. "Steve, you might be having contractions. We have to go see Bruce." He stood up.

"Not possible. My due date's not for two weeks!"

"Maybe she's coming early. Come on, let's go. I'm not taking no for an answer."

Steve scowled at Tony, but took his hand when he offered it. Tony helped him over to the wheelchair and the two made their way down to Bruce's floor, Steve groaning and cursing the whole way. They made it to the medical center just as Steve was growling another "Jesus fucking Christ!" at the pain.

"What's going on?" Bruce asked. He was again playing with one of the machines, trying to calibrate it.

"Steve's having contractions," Tony explained.

"No I'm not! I just... pulled a muscle or something ahhh goddammit!"

"Uh, it sounds like you're in way worse pain than from a pulled muscle. Tony, help me get him onto the bed, will you?"

Tony nodded and the two helped Steve up, trying to be as gentle as possible.

Then, just like that, the pain was over again.

"It keeps coming and going," Tony said.

"Yep. Definitely sounds like contractions. Looks like you guys are going to be fathers sooner than we thought!", Bruce said. He opened a cabinet and pulled out a hospital gown. "Tony, help him into this?"

"Come on," Steve started, "I really don't want to-"

Tony cut him off. "I don't care. You're going to put it on."

"Fine." Steve knew better than to argue with Tony. Tony would just suit up and manhandle him into the gown if he had to.

Bruce turned around and pretended to be busy calibrating the machine again while Tony helped Steve change.

"We're done," Tony called out, alerting Bruce that it was okay to turn around again.

"Good. Alright, so how often are the contractions coming?"

"About every half hour," Tony answered. Steve was currently glaring at him, but he was ignoring it.

"Okay. Now, you remember what we discussed about the actual process of giving birth?"

"You're going to do a c-section, right?" Steve asked.

"Yes. Normally a person would be awake for this but would have pain medication, but because of your metabolism... well, I have something I can give you, but it's going to knock you out. I couldn't come up with anything to keep you awake. Let's just hope it works. Otherwise, it might be painful."

"Great."

Bruce began prepping Steve for his injection. Meanwhile, the other Avengers had gathered outside. JARVIS had alerted them.

Tony was holding Steve's hand with one hand and waving at them with the other. Clint gave him a thumbs up and Thor waved back. The doors were frosted, so they could only see Tony's head and Tony could only see them from the shoulder's up. Tony figured that this was a good thing. Steve probably would not want an audience right now.

"Okay," Bruce said, tying a tourniquet around Steve's arm. "I'm going to begin the injection. You're going to feel fuzzy for a few seconds, then you're going to go to sleep."

"Alright." Steve seemed to go from being aggravated to nervous. He looked at Tony with pleading eyes.

"Hey, it'll be alright," Tony reassured him, kissing Steve's hand. "You're gonna be just fine. I'll be right here the whole time."

"Okay... but, if anything happens... save her first, alright?"

"Nothing will happen."

"If it does."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Fine, if something happens we will save the baby first. But it won't. Now try to relax. It's going to be fine."

Bruce proceeded to hook Steve up to an IV, and within seconds, Steve could feel the drug kicking in.

"I love you..." Steve said, though his words were slightly slurred.

"I love you too."

A second later, Steve was out.

00

The operation went better than Bruce expected. Steve stayed unconscious the entire time, and there was really no problems getting the baby out. All in all, it took thirty minutes. Bruce surmised that it had to do with Steve's body working more efficiently than most people's. There were no complications.

The little girl was totally healthy. Twenty inches and 7lbs, 4oz. She had ten fingers and ten toes, brown eyes and a full head of brown hair. She had cried when she was first born, as most babies do, but after she had been cleaned up and the cord had been cut, she calmed down. Currently, she was in Tony's arms, her tiny little hand wrapped around his finger.

Tony hadn't known how he would feel when he first held his daughter. He wasn't sure if it would be happiness or fear or what it would be. A baby was a huge responsibility, after all. But as soon as he saw her, touched her, held her, he felt overcome with joy.

"She's the most beautiful girl in the world," he mumbled, smiling at his little girl. Tears were running down his face at the same time.

"She is quite the beautiful baby," Bruce remarked. He was busy stitching Steve back up.

"She's perfect. Wow." She had both Tony and Steve's features. Tony was sure that she would be a knock out when she got older.

A few minutes after Bruce had finished with Steve, the soldier began to wake up.

"What happened?" he asked, groggily.

"Our little girl was born," Tony answered. He was smiling from ear to ear.

"Is she okay?" Steve struggled to sit up further, but Bruce pushed him back.

"Just rest," Bruce told him. "She's fine, completely healthy. Everything went perfectly."

"Oh, good," Steve replied. He was still feeling a little hazy. "Can I see her?"

"Of course." Tony held the baby up so that Steve could take a look at her. She glanced over at him, and appeared to smile.

"She's gorgeous. She looks happy," Steve noted, a grin spreading across his own face. "I can't believe that she's ours... that she came out of me."

"She's happy that she has two awesome daddys!", Tony said, "But yes, it is amazing. She's amazing."

"Ah, guys, I think everyone else wants to see the baby. Should I let them in?" Bruce asked.

Tony and Steve looked at each other, and Steve shrugged. "Yeah, go ahead."

Bruce opened the doors and everyone walked in, looking extremely excited.

"Hey guys," Tony said, once everyone was inside. He held the baby up so everyone could see. "I present to you Bertrice Velveeta Rogers-Stark!"

Everyone's jaws dropped.

"Did... did you really name her that?" Clint asked, after an awkward silence.

"Yup. Bertrice is my grandmother's name and Velveeta is the best kind of cheese so-"

Tony was cut off by Steve elbowing him. "He's playing with you, guys. Her name is Elizabeth Grace."

Everyone let out a breath.

"Thank God," Tasha said, "I was going to kick your butt later if you really named her that."

"Will she have both of your last names?" Clint asked.

"Yes," Steve answered. "Her full name is Elizabeth Grace Rogers-Stark."

"Aw, that's a pretty name. Perfect for such a pretty girl," Natasha cooed, looking at the baby.

"Want to hold her?" Tony asked.

"May I?" Natasha seemed excited. Tony handed the baby over. The infant cooed when she saw Natasha.

Tasha smiled. "Welcome to the world, little girl."


	24. Epilogue 1 - Kiddie

**A/N: My little niece says "kiddie" when calling my cats and I think it's super cute.**

Epilogue 1 - Kiddie

"Why?"

"Because if we don't put food in the refridgerator it will go bad."

"Why?"

"Because the molecules in the food break down and - Lizzie, you're two. You don't need to know this."

"Why?"

Tony shook his head. "Steve, come deal with your daughter!"

Steve came running in. "What's going on?" He looked at Lizzie and then Tony.

"She keeps asking "why" and I can't well explain how food decays to a two year old."

"Aw, she's just curious," Steve said, scooping Lizzie up into his arms. She grinned as her daddy held her. As she had gotten older her hair had lightened slightly, to where it was a dirty blonde color, similar to Steve's. The two actually looked very alike. She seemed to have inherited Tony's desire to learn about everything, though.

"She's already in that special pre-k. They teach her stuff all day!"

"She wants to learn more. You ought to be happy!," Steve said, looking at Lizzie. "Right, little girl?"

"Lizzie's smart," the child said, seriously.

Right then, Lizzie's attention caught on something else. "Kiddie!"

Steve and Tony turned to see the kitten that they had bought walking into the room.

"Daddy! Kiddie!" Lizzie put her hands out, trying to reach the cat. Steve put her down so she could get to it. The little girl ran over to the cat and sat down next to it, then picked it up and put it in her lap. It was a black kitten that they had jokingly named Lokitty. Lizzie generally referred to him as "Kiddie", though.

"Now what did we say about playing with Lokitty?" Steve asked.

"Be gentle!" Lizzie replied, proudly.

"Good job."

Lizzie returned her attention to the kitten, which was purring contently. Steve and Tony had agreed to adopt the kitten, and it's sister Kali after Clint had found them abandoned outside.

"Good kiddie!", she said, as she stroked the kitten's fur. Suddenly Kali appeared, apparently having followed her brother. "Kali!"

The female kitten walked over and sniffed Lizzie's hand, then sat down next to her. Lizzie stuck her hand out and the cat began to lick her. "Good girl!"

"Okay, you have to admit that she's being super cute," Steve said, watching as Lizzie played with the cats.

"I already have JARVIS taping it," Tony replied. He had been taking videos of Lizzie constantly, being sure to document every milestone and adorable thing that Elizabeth did.

"Daddy?" Lizzie said, looking at Tony again.

"Yes, dear?"

"Kiddie purrs. Why?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Here we go again."


End file.
